


Rebirth Rain

by Nyannygiri



Category: Stardew Valley (Video Game)
Genre: Betrayal, Depression, F/M, Love Triangles, Suicide Attempt, outcast
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-05-28
Updated: 2017-11-04
Packaged: 2018-07-10 18:49:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 22
Words: 48,937
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7000231
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nyannygiri/pseuds/Nyannygiri
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Shane wastes his life away getting drunk, and feels like he has nothing left to live for. But will a peppy new farm girl shake up his life a little?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Shane

**Author's Note:**

  * For [PeachBlossomTea](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=PeachBlossomTea).



> I originally started uploading this fic to the Fanfiction website, but decided to bring it here too since I know some people prefer this site. This does mean I will be updating it sooner on the Fanfiction website though since there's already about 8 chapters, and I will only gradually be uploading them here.
> 
> I've gifted this work to my friend PeachBlossomTea because when I was starting to write this fic I was unsure about it and didn't know if I could be motivated to write more. PBT's reviews and support have really helped get me pumped to write more of Rebirth Rain and we became friends too. I'm really glad I met her and I'm truly thankful to have her not only as a follower of my story but also as my friend. :3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shane has a run in with the new resident, but he'd rather keep his distance.

\---Shane's P.O.V.---

“Another beer.” I said, as I slid the empty pint glass down the bar.

“Coming right up!” Gus cheered heartily before sliding a pint of the good stuff toward me. It was 7:30pm and the saloon was bustling with people; chatting, gossiping, laughing merrily. Ugh. I, on the other hand, preferred to stay in the corner with my drink, away from the rabble. The beer from the saloon wasn’t the cheapest or the strongest, but it was all Pelican Town had, so it was passable, I guess. New Year’s had just passed too, so to make way for all the weird festive drinks the beer was pretty cheap for the time being. I stared at down the pale-ish yellow liquid in the glass as my eyes burned from a long day of work. I was tired… I was always so tired. Blowing my pay check on beer at the end of the day was the only thing that kept me going, though that always meant I’d have to go back the next day to do it all again… And again… And again…

 

Looking around, I saw that the bar had gotten more crowded than usual. Even Harvey, the valley doctor, had shown up to start putting away beers like it was his last night on earth. Hypocrite. Putting my hand in my pocket, I realised that was the last beer I could afford. Damn… That time again. As I raised the glass to my lips, I noticed Mayor Lewis on the other side of the room… The guy who’s been sleeping with Aunt Marnie and thinks no one realises. Shudder. The townsfolk around him seemed to get more rowdy and energetic - seemed like he was causing a lot of excitement… Hell knows what he was talking about, and Hell also knows that I didn’t give half a damn. I knocked back the last of my beer, put my hands in my pockets, and headed toward the door. On my way out, I heard excited whispers like “I can’t wait to meet her!” Huh? Did someone buy a dog or something? Or… Oh god no. I seriously hoped no one new would be moving to town… I could barely tolerate the townsfolk that were already around. With that thought, I shoved the door with my elbow and made my way out into the bitter night air. The taste in my mouth was bitter, too, though that’s to be expected when your diet consists of beer and the occasional slice of pizza. I headed back to Aunt Marnie’s ranch and threw myself at the bed, face to pillow.

 

It barely even felt like moments later that my obnoxious alarm clock started beeping loud enough to wake up the whole town. I reached a hand out from under the covers, smacked the button on the top, and grabbed the clock. 7am, Spring 8th, Monday… Monday, huh…? The days all kind of merged into one for me, so it got hard to keep track of time. Not that it mattered, anyway, since I wasted every day of my life packing shelves at Joja Mart regardless of what day of the week it was. I felt the dull queasiness of a hangover brewing in my stomach, just like every other morning, as I pulled on my clothes and Joja Mart uniform jacket. I took a brief look in the mirror, and rubbed the stubble on my chin. What’s the point in shaving if all I’m getting up for is this god awful job…

 

As I headed out the door of Aunt Marnie’s house, the harsh morning sun blinded me and exacerbated my headache. Just like every other morning, I squinted away from it, wishing I didn’t have to leave my bed. It was around 7:40am when I heard the sound of footsteps running behind me. I didn’t turn around, though – what do I care what anyone else is doing at this ungodly hour?

“Heeeeeeey!” A voice in the distance.

“Hey! Hey you!” It called again. I’ve walked this route to work a few hundred times over, surely, and I know for a fact that I’m the only one who walks this way at this time… Which can only mean…

“You in the blue jacket!”

What a pain. They really are calling out to me. Before I knew it, the person was beside me. Bright and full of energy, her green eyes were gleaming annoyingly in the sunlight, her long brown hair being lifted slightly by the wind. She was wearing blue dungarees – maybe the old abandoned farm was finally being used, I thought, though I didn’t bother to ponder on the matter too deeply. She looked young – barely even an adult, if one at all. Great, more rowdy kids in town. Though I guess the adults are just as bad… Maybe it was the fact that it was so early in the morning, but I hadn’t noticed previously how uncomfortably close she was standing to me. Her insufferably shrill voice was spouting some nonsense about the Mayor and a farm but I was barely paying attention. I narrowed my eyes and sighed. “I don’t even know you. Why are you talking to me?”  
“Huh?” She was caught off guard. Her eyes opened up wide like a small child and her facial expression went vacant. Jeez, what are you, a twelve year old…? I started walking again, away from the annoying girl. She clearly noticed me walking away, as she took a deep breath in.

“Oh… Yeah! Okay! See you later!” 

Wow, I hope not.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'll probably just upload chapters 1-3 to here today, since that's pretty much the start of the story.


	2. The Last Name

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mirabelle's first task is to meet all of the people in town. However, a certain someone doesn't seem eager to cooperate with her.

\---Mira's P.O.V.---

“Ahh, what a beautiful day!” I sighed to myself as I stretched my arms in the Spring sunlight. The beautiful sun, the smell of fresh grass and the sound of the wind whistling in the trees… So much more than I could’ve ever hoped for if I’d stayed in that dingy Joja Corp call centre in the city. The countryside is so refreshing! When I meet Grandpa up in heaven one day, I really owe him one for this!

Mayor Lewis gave me a little ice-breaking task to help me get settled in – he told me to go meet everyone in Pelican Town. He even gave me a checklist of names. On my first day in town, I’d managed to meet almost everyone. I’d ticked off 27 names out of the 29 I’d been given, and I’d met a few people around my own age. I was half expecting the countryside to be full of grumpy pensioners, actually, but everyone I’d met so far had been so friendly!

 

“Just two to go…” I mumbled, scrutinising Lewis’ curly handwriting. “Hmm… Sebastian, huh?” Thinking about it, I thought I remembered the dark-skinned girl with glasses I met yesterday mention that she lived in the mountains with her brother Sebastian… I could be wrong, but it’s worth a shot, right?

The hike up the mountainside wasn’t as long as I thought it would be, and I even got the chance to pop in and say “hi” to the hermit gentleman who lived in a tent up there. What a nice guy. On the approach to a small house, I could see a telescope, and assumed it must belong to the girl – Maru, I thought I remembered – since she enthused to me about her research and metalwork when I met her. A quick knock on the door and I was greeted by Maru’s redheaded mother, Robin.

“Well, if it isn’t the new farmer!” she smiled warmly. “Have you come to look at building projects already?”

“Ah, no, not yet I’m afraid!” I smiled back, rubbing the back of my head with my right hand. “I was actually looking for the last two people I haven’t met in town yet. Does a man called Sebastian live here?”

“Ah, that would be my son…” her smile seemed to grow a little more awkward as her voice drifted off slightly. “Sebby’s in his room, downstairs. Feel free to go see him, but… Well, he’s a little shy.”

I walked down the stairs and gave Sebastian’s bedroom door a light knock. I paused, and I could hear the clicking of a mouse and the tapping of a keyboard, but other than that there was no response. “Hello…?” I pushed the door open slowly and stepped inside, and the view made me feel pretty nostalgic. A Harvest Moon poster, a table top game, graphic novels scattered around… All things that reminded me of my early teenage years, before I got that awful job. “Wow…” I instinctively said to myself. Turning around, I noticed two computer screens, and a man about my age sitting in front of one of them; a lax looking guy with a black side fringe, clad in dark clothing. His skin was a little pale, too. Still overwhelmed from seeing some of my old favourites, I beamed at him. “Hi!”

“Erm… Hey…” his deep voice quietly drifted toward me, his eyes questioningly appraising my presence. “You… Just moved in, right?”

“Yep, that’s right!” I smiled. “I live on the farm now, to the west of town!”

“Cool.” He looked back toward his monitor. “Mum told me to expect you to be over at some point, so… If you want to hang out I guess that’s fine… But I’m not sure I have any hobbies that’d interest you.” He glanced at me, as if to say, ‘you look kind of girly’. I chuckled. “Actually, I used to be quite a gamer. I played a lot of table top games, too.”

The dark little raincloud of a man suddenly lit up at my words. “Really?” He stood up, walking toward the table with the board game on it. “Ever played Solarian Chronicles? It’s pretty recent, though…”

“Ah, no, I haven’t played that one…” As I said this his eyes flicked to the floor in slight disappointment. I pulled out a chair at the table. “But if you have the time, I’d love to learn!”  
“Ah… Sure.” He said quietly. He seemed nervous, but almost happy for the company. That’s how I saw it, anyway.

…

“It’s getting late, huh?” I sighed, looking at my watch as I stretched my legs. “7pm… Wow. I was just so wrapped up in the game!”

“Well, it works better with three players…” Sebastian averted his gaze. “Anyway, I suppose you’d better get going, huh?”

Sebastian walked me outside, and produced a packet of cigarettes from his pocket. He offered me one, but I politely declined. “I have one more person to meet, then I’ve met everyone in town. Not bad for two days living here, right?” I giggled.

“Oh. Who is it?”  
“Hmm…” I skimmed through the piece of paper from Mayor Lewis until I found the only unticked name. There in the list as a final challenge and a beacon of my soon-to-be accomplishment, it gave me determination. “Shane.”

“Oh.” Sebastian rolled his eyes, lighting a cigarette in his mouth. “I’d imagine you’ll find him in the Saloon at this time. He’s a pretty notorious drunk.”

I waved goodbye to Sebastian and made my way down the mountainside. Through the darkness, the illumination of the street lights guided me toward an old-fashioned looking building of uneven mud-brown bricks – the Saloon. I gulped at the almost intimidating sight, imagining that a bunch of Vikings or pirates might be waiting for me on the other side of the rustic wooden door. Still, I creaked the door open and revealed the surprisingly warm atmosphere on the inside; a jukebox was cheerfully playing music and everyone seemed to be jolly. It could’ve just been the alcohol, but the people seemed so friendly, and I felt at ease straight away. As I walked through the door the blue-haired barmaid waved at me, and I beamed a smile her way. What a lovely bar! Just as I said before, everyone in Pelican Town seemed like such lovely people!

Well… Almost everyone.

In contrast to the toasty fuzziness of the rest of the Saloon, one corner just east of the bar was sub-zero. Stubble poked out of a face that would be a murder weapon if looks could kill. A messy head of short brown hair atop a scuffed-up Joja Mart jacket… My eyes widened slightly as I remembered – Him! The grumpy guy from yesterday morning! I guess he’s the last name?

I approached the man’s frosty corner of the bar as he chugged away at a pint of beer, seemingly unaware of my presence.

“Umm, hi—“  
“No, I don’t have time to chat with you.” He said sharply, without even missing a beat – or a sip of beer. I pouted a little. “Umm… I’m supposed to be meeting everyone in town. The Mayor told me to.” I forced a smile. “You’re Shane, right?”

He knocked back the rest of his beer. “Yup.” He was clearly drunk… Is this normal?

Still, I smiled. I was determined to make friends with everyone in Pelican Town, and if that includes Alcoholic McGrumpy Pants, then so be it! “It’s nice to meet you, Shane! I’m Mirabelle. But most people just call me Mira.” I smiled wide and threw him a peace sign. He just glared at me with a sceptic expression. “…Right.” He sighed, as he started to shuffle toward the exit.

“Ah… Okay! See you around, Shane!” I waved after him. Did I hear him mumble ‘I hope not’ under his breath? Nah, I’m probably just tired.

 

I checked the final name off of my list and filled my lungs with a breath of relief. Mission accomplished!


	3. His Special Day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's Shane's special day, but he's hardly eager to celebrate. He still has to work for his jerk of a boss, after all. After intervention and sudden triggered memories, It's hardly the birthday he was expecting.

\---Shane's P.O.V.---

 

Is it normal to hate the sight of my own face so much that I’ve contemplated getting rid of my mirror every single morning? ‘Cause if not, I’m one pretty abnormal guy. I rubbed my bloodshot eyes as I once again decided there was no point in shaving. My stubble was getting pretty out of hand, but maybe if people saw it and thought I was some unkempt wild man, they wouldn’t try to talk to me… Good plan, if I do say so myself. Even after brushing my teeth, my mouth still tasted like the night before. I felt like hell had vomited me back out, but luckily for me, I was the world champion of managing to do a full day’s work with a hangover. Time to endure another eight hours of slave labour…

 

“Morning, Marnie!” A horribly loud and high-pitched voice rung out from the shop floor. The hell? It’s not even 7:30. The store isn’t open yet… I opened my door just a slither and peeked out into the shop, and upon discovering who the loud intruder was, immediately pulled myself back into my room. That goddamn farm girl. From the day I told her my name she’s been calling out to me in that annoying voice. I’d been doing my best to avoid her for the past couple weeks, but now she was blocking my exit. Ergh… I’m gonna be late if I don’t do something…

 

“Ah, Ms. Rain! It’s good to see you up and about so early.” Speak for yourself, Marnie…

Wait a minute. Rain? Her family name is Rain? If I had the energy, I’d laugh at the irony, but I was more focused on figuring out how to get out of the front door.

“It’s good to see you too! I wanted to ask about your chickens today.”

“Ah, you’re here to buy already?”

“Well, not exactly…” An almost audible sweat drop rolled down the farmer’s face. “It’s just for future reference. I’ve… Not really made much money yet. But it’s just about enough to get by, so it’s fine!” Sombre for a split second, beaming UV rays from her face again the next… This kid was really something else. Regardless, I was in no position to wait around for this drivel to end any longer. I wasn’t prepared to be late for work and get my pay docked – that’d mean less beer, and really, what’s the point if there’s no beer? With that gratification in mind, I swiftly opened my bedroom door and made for the exit as quickly as I could, hands in my pockets, eyes to the floor.

“Oh! Shane! Good morning--“ She’d barely started spewing her nonsense by the time I was out of the door and on my way. Phew. Now to survive a torturous day of work to get to the promised land of alcohol and liver damage later on…

7:40 am. Footsteps frantically running behind me. This all felt far too familiar. “Shaaaaaane!” At the speed of light, she was next to me, catching her breath, toffee-brown hair all over the place. By this point, I’d seriously had enough. I’m a grown man, for god’s sake. I don’t need some farm girl pestering me when I’m perfectly content being unhappy with my life.

“I—“

“What do you want from me?!” My sleep deprived rage erupted from my soul, or lack thereof. “Money? Is… Is that what you want? I’d give you a pot of gold to leave me alone!” I took a note from my pocket and threw it at her for dramatic effect. It was probably just a Joja Cola coupon, though. Without giving her a chance to react, I shuffled along on my way to work.

 

A few hours later, my shift was under way and I’d been repetitively stacking shelves, just like every other day. On one hand it was the most mind numbingly boring task to spend eight hours of every day doing. Then again, my permanent state of ‘hungover’ probably means that I wouldn’t be capable of much more anyway… I mean, the job only makes me want to drink more, but I digress. I was minding my own business stacking tins of tomato soup on aisle three when the big cheese decided to leave his throne at the front desk and swoop down to visit the peasantry working under him. Ugh. I hated Morris. He’d periodically do anything he could to make my life more difficult during my shift, from the odd taunting word to ‘accidentally’ telling me to stack the wrong aisle, only to have me do it all over again in unpaid overtime. “Well hello there, Shane! Fine day, isn’t it? The twentieth of the month already! How it has flown by,” his voice sounded so ridiculously pompous that my eyes automatically rolled themselves. I didn’t respond – that tends to be the best way of dealing with this clown.

“Now now, I can’t have you slacking like this,” he tapped his ridiculously shiny shoe against the blue tiled floor as he said this, quite clearly watching me work my ass off. “Even if it is a special day, Shane, you don’t get any privileges!”

I groaned at his words. I never get any privileges working here – I barely get basic human rights. Why would a stupid day like today be any different…

 

Finally my hard labour came to an end. The walk to the Saloon went by in the blink of an eye, the whole while my mind was fixed on that bitter taste I’d longed for all day. Throwing Gus a few coins and picking up my beverage, I stood in my usual corner next to the fire, away from everyone else. I looked down at the beer in my glass as if it was some kind of magic potion. Well, time to make me forget the day…

I ran out of money unusually fast that night. Maybe Morris cheated me out of some cash, or maybe Gus put the prices back up… Or even more likely yet, maybe I just drank a lot more. I was just gearing up to leave at around 9pm when the Saloon door flung open. In walked the farm girl with her usual peppy demeanour, a skip in her step. Yep, definitely time to leave. I started to walk toward the exit, when the farm bumpkin got right in my way. “Ah! Wait!”

I stopped and glared at her. It was only then that I noticed how short she was compared to me. I mean, I’m hardly a tall guy, but she’s seriously tiny. Even so, she still managed to be an obstacle. “Get out of the way.”

“B-but, I wanted to say happy birthday to you!” her wide green eyes blinked endearingly several times. “I had a lot to do today, so I was worried I wouldn’t get here in time to catch you… But next round’s on me, so just stay a little longer, okay?” she smiled widely. I really didn’t want to stay around such a bundle of sickeningly positive energy, but she did mention beer…

“…Fine. Whatever.” I slumped back into my corner. She disappeared from my vision for a moment, before returning with a pint of beer in her right hand. I squinted at her young looking face. “…Are you even old enough to buy beer?”

“Of course I am!” she puffed out her cheeks grumpily. “I’m nineteen years old, not a little kid!”

She held the beer out to me, and upon me accepting it, she bowed as if to say ‘I’ll get out of your way’ and started walking away. Heh, she finally got the message. Still… She did just buy me a beer on my birthday when I didn’t even mention it to anyone, and this morning she was talking about her monetary issues, and yet she still went out of her way to buy me this…

Damn it… Even I’m not that heartless. Looks like it’s my turn to call out.

“Hey… Rain.”

She turned around, eyes wide in wonder. “Huh?”

I sighed, hesitating. This was gonna sound stupid, no matter how I said it. “…It’s no fun drinking alone. Go grab yourself one, too.” Her mouth widened into a huge grin as she processed my words. Running to the bar and then unsteadily walking back with a pint glass in her hand, she sat down at the bar stool closest to where I was standing. “Yay, Shane! I’m so glad we’re finally—“

“Hey, don’t go getting the wrong idea…” I mumbled. “Who told you it was my birthday, anyway?”

“The big calendar that Mayor Lewis put up on the bulletin board said so.” She grinned, as if she were some sort of ace detective. “And you don’t have to call me by my last name, you know. Most people call me Mira.”

“Nope, I’m good.”

“Why?” she cocked her head to one side. “Calling me by my family name sounds so weird and formal, like the army or something.”

“I just think it’s funny.” I took a sip of my beer. “Having the last name ‘Rain’ with your sunny disposition… The irony’s too sweet to pass up.”

“Jeez!” She puffed her cheeks out again. I grinned.

 

After about half an hour, I headed out of the Saloon, Rain following behind me. After Gus poked the whole ‘it’s not kind to let a lady walk home alone at night’ line at me, I reluctantly told her she could follow me back. “No further than Aunt Marnie’s ranch, though. Got it?”

“Yep!”

“And you’re not coming in.”

“I know, I know.” She waved her hand at me nonchalantly.

It was pretty damn annoying to have such an obnoxious ball of sunshine skipping next to me so late at night, even if it was only for ten minutes or so. The entrance to Marnie’s farm had never looked more welcoming than right now, since it’d get me out of this situation. “Okay, bye!” Rain chirped as I pushed the door. Yeah, good riddance. I must’ve been home a lot earlier than usual, since Aunt Marnie was still up. “Ah, there you are! I didn’t think I’d get a chance to give this to you before tomorrow morning.” She was holding a large box wrapped in blue spotty wrapping paper. It looked far too big for someone of her height and stature to be carrying. “Happy birthday, little nephew! I wasn’t sure what else you’d like, so I got this delivered from the city a little while ago.” She handed me the package unsteadily – it was a little heavy. This wrapping paper, though… Her ‘little nephew’ just turned 26, not 12… I could only imagine a remote control car or something was inside, since Aunt Marnie seemed to treat me like a child on the odd occasion when I ran into her. I mean… Not that I’d complain if it was an RC car, but that isn’t the point.

“…Thanks, Aunt Marnie.” I mumbled as I shuffled off to my room.

“You be responsible with that now, y’hear?” she called after me as I closed the door. Sitting down on my bed, I sighed and started tearing off the childish wrapping paper.  
“Wow.” I said, instinctively. It was a crate of city beer. She actually got me a gift befitting of my age. When I caught sight of the brand, I stopped dead for a moment, uneasiness swirling in my stomach.

…I used to drink this back then.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Right, that's it for today! I'll probably move another chapter over from the other site in a couple of days. Let me know what you think!


	4. Lifting the Veil

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shane is distressed by his past memories and finds himself in kind of a state. Mira triggers -that scene-.

\---Shane's P.O.V.---

 

_My shoes splashed hard through puddles as I ran through the heavy rain, the raindrops hitting my bare arms like needles. I wasn’t expecting a storm that day, so I didn’t bother to take a jacket out with me. By the time I got back to the apartment I was soaked through, and so were my clothes. But that was all okay – because happy times were waiting for me on the other side. Her smile was waiting for me. I smiled to myself as I put my key in the door… But when I pushed that door open, everything changed. My heart shattered in an instant. My stomach churned with waves of betrayal. She and him… Together… Why?_

_There is no remorse on those faces. He tries to explain himself with a blatant lie, and she glares at me, wasting no time in making this my fault. But… I can’t hear her… Anymore. My heart had been torn from my chest and crushed, but I couldn’t feel it. My freezing cold skin and soaked shoes were no longer a part of me. I couldn’t feel anything… Anymore._

_No… I definitely wasn’t expecting a storm that day._

 

…

 

I couldn’t concentrate at work in the slightest. I was too distracted by thoughts of… That day. But why? I hadn’t thought about back then for a long time, like my mind just vetoed it every time I even started to think about it. But all of a sudden, after seeing Aunt Marnie’s gift, I couldn’t shake it. Even now, though, it was a dull memory. Like every time I started to feel, my mind would shut off. I couldn’t see their faces. Couldn’t hear their voices. Just a grey blur of the scene lit up by a crack of lightning, thunder roaring behind me.  
Usually it’d be a rare blessing for something to distract my mind so much that the work day flies by. But not this. My mind was still trying to fight off the memories – I could barely follow a train of thought. How frustrating. Did I even sleep last night? I don’t know… Ever since I caught sight of that stupid box, everything’s just been a sea of dull painful memories. A sea of her. What was her name again? What colour were her eyes? Maybe three years of heavy drinking messed with my memory more than I realised, but I could hardly see that as a bad thing if it helped erase those events. Ugh, just the thought of it was making me thirsty. I was sweating beads – it almost felt like the white-washed walls of Joja Mart were closing in. I have to get out of here. I need a drink.

5pm. Finally. I kicked open those bright blue doors and got the hell out. The cool evening air hit me as I walked along the river on my way to the Saloon. I swallowed hard at my reflection in the crystal clear water; my throat was so dry I doubt there’d be much difference if I was in the middle of the desert. Finally, I got to the entrance of the Saloon. I propped up the door with my foot, ready to kick it open, but something stopped me. Something, deep down, felt very wrong. The thought of walking in with everyone looking at me… I just couldn’t bring myself to open the door. What the hell is wrong with me? Well, there was nothing for it. I turned and headed for Aunt Marnie’s ranch, kicking the pavement as I went.

The cows raised their heads as I returned to the ranch. It was pretty weird seeing them awake – I usually left too early and got back too late. Pushing the door open, I noticed all the lights were off – everyone must have been out. Marnie would’ve been out at the Saloon flirting with the mayor, and I guess that Jas kid was probably being tutored or something. Either way, it was nice to finally be alone. Shuffling into my room, I sat down on my bed and buried my head in my hands. Foggy memories and a swirling headache haunted me. Through the darkness, I squinted down at the floor – the beer that Aunt Marnie bought me was still there. I reached for the box, and hoisted it up onto my lap. Ever since I looked at this stupid box, fragmented memories have tormented me. But what if I drank it? Would it all come back? This stuff started this mess… Maybe it could end it, too. I ripped off the top of the box messily, taking a can from inside. I pulled the tab with a hiss… Just the smell of the beer vapour in the air made my stomach turn nostalgically. I raised the can to my lips. Time to conquer this.

As the beer washed over my tongue with a tingling sensation, it took my breath away. Like I was walking a fine line between enlightenment, and losing myself completely. The taste took me all the way back. Three years of buried memories rushed past the twisting, drunken kaleidoscope of my mind as if a veil had been lifted. Her name. What she said to me. How many times, with whom. It was all flooding back… And it was giving me one hell of a headache.

 

It had gotten late. I… Wasn’t feeling so good. Everything was swirling and pulsing and, now that I focused in on the real world again, I’d apparently taken a walk into the forest, and I was standing on the pier at the lake. I took the beer with me, of course, but I’d drank so much that only a few cans remained now. I had no will to do anything but stare out into the lake as my mind spiralled into dull sensations of hopelessness. _I remember everything._

Who knows how much time had passed, or what time it even was. My mind didn’t even bother to register the footsteps approaching behind me, but I snapped back to reality when I heard a familiar voice.

“…Shane?”

 

\---Mira's P.O.V.---

 

It’d been a pretty long day for me that I decided to wrap up with a trip to the Saloon. Once inside, though, I noticed it was a little emptier than usual. Lewis and Marnie were sitting next to the door, Clint watched Emily fondly as she worked next to Gus behind the bar, Leah was carving funky shapes into a piece of wood with her pen knife at the edge of the room… But that wasn’t everyone. It was 8:30pm already, and Shane was missing. It’s not like he had anywhere else to be, right? “Hey, Emily!” I waved, approaching the bar. “Did Shane head home early?”

“He never came in tonight. Maybe he’s sick,” Emily chuckled in response. Yeah… I guess Shane would have to be sick not to be in the Saloon. It was pretty out of character. I started to feel a little uneasy about the whole situation. Faking a stretch, I stood back up from the bar stool. “Ahh… Well, I’ve had a pretty long day, so on second thought I might just hit the hay. See you later, Emily!”

After leaving the Saloon, I ran as fast as I could to Marnie’s ranch. Something didn’t feel right, and if I could just confirm that Shane was home, then I could put my mind at rest. No problem. At the entrance of the farm, I tiptoed past the sleeping cows and skulked along the walls of the house until I reached a window. I was pretty sure that what I was doing was highly socially deplorable if not illegal, so to avoid embarrassment and a restraining order I didn’t want to be seen. Luckily, Marnie lived right on the edge of the forest and I already knew she wasn’t home, so I didn’t really have much to worry about. Peeking through the window, I noticed that most of the lights were out – except for one, where I always saw little Jas playing whenever I visited Marnie. Other than that, the house was pitch black… Maybe Shane was asleep? I guess with his schedule he probably didn’t get much sleep… I nodded to myself, deciding that must be the case, and started to head home.

I’d been staking out Marnie’s house for longer than I thought – it was 11pm by the time I got close to the entrance of my farm. I heard a tinny sound behind me from out of the darkness, like a can being kicked over. It sounded like it was coming from the lake. I stared through the eerie night-time forest; Mayor Lewis warned me never to venture into the forest at night, but I was curious… And it’s not like the lake was very far in. It was practically on the edge of town. Convincing myself of this, I edged toward the mysterious luminance of the lake. My eyes widened as a familiar figure came into view, hunched over at the end of the pier. “…Shane?” I approached him through the darkness as he turned to face me slightly, his lifeless eyes still fixated on the water. “Up late, huh?” he mumbled, as I crouched down next to him.

“Yeah, but… What about you? Why are you out here at this time?”

“No particular reason…” He slurred his words heavily, and looked a complete mess. Shane was in a pretty bad way… It’s a good job I came along. He could’ve fallen in the lake and no one would have known. “Here, have a cold one.” He grabbed a can of beer out of a box that was next to him, on the opposite side of him than me. He had his own half-empty can in his other hand. Taking the still cold can from him, I sat all the way down. I had a feeling we’d be there a while. “So… What were you thinking about all the way out here?”

“Life.”

“How long have you been sat here?”

“Dunno.” He took another chug of beer. He stunk of it. I had to wonder how many he’d already had… I was about to ask, but I caught sight of his expression. Almost like emptiness, but more than that… As if he’d had everything that mattered to him stripped from him. A pain that only the truly lost could ever hope to understand shone in his bloodshot, half-open eyes. My heart sank. Shane has been suffering, and no one could see past his rugged exterior enough to reach out to him. Never before have I seen such raw pain yet such emptiness on someone’s face at the same time… As if he’s largely given up, yet a spark of hope wants him to keep trying. Keep hurting. Hope for a brighter tomorrow. I felt a twinge of empathy as these familiar thoughts churned through me. I don’t know his story, but… I certainly know how it feels to keep wading through a world that has already set you up to fall.

We sat in silence for a long time. I kept trying to find the right words to say, but in the end, there really was nothing ‘right’ to say. I knew he’d probably push me away, but I wanted to show him I cared. As my hand approached his shoulder to comfort him, he suddenly spoke. “Do you ever feel like…” I drew my hand back quickly. He rubbed his temples as he tried to formulate a sentence. “…No matter what you do, you’re gonna fail? Like you’re stuck in some… Miserable abyss and you’re so deep you can’t even see the light of day?” He was very drunk, but he sounded so… Sincere. I was speechless. I knew exactly how he was feeling, and yet… Words escaped me. Shane took another sip of his drink, and swallowed audibly. “I just feel like… No matter how hard I try, I’m not strong enough to climb out of that hole.” I could hear the bitter pain in his voice. Yes… The abyss. The dark hole that seems impossible to scale out of. My chest ached as I processed his words. I finally summed up the courage to place a reassuring hand on his shoulder. He didn’t shrug me off like I thought he would – he just sat there, like a sad statue, until it was time for him to take another sip of beer. I looked down at my own drink, and knocked it back in one chug. Probably not the best idea since I hadn’t eaten much that day, but old habits die hard. Shane turned to me, a small smirk forming on his face. “Heh... Fast drinker, huh?” His voice softened, the shimmering moonlit lake reflecting off of his deep brown eyes. “Woman after my own heart.”

My face flushed red after hearing his words, and my stomach tied itself in a knot. I suddenly found myself staring down at the surface of the lake, my breathing thin. Was it the alcohol? Or was it…?

“Don’t make it a habit, though…” his tired voice became serious. “You’ve still got a future ahead of you… Unlike some people.” Shane sighed, and my heart ached. Suddenly, he staggered to his feet. “Welp, my liver’s begging me to stop, so guess it’s time to call it a night…” He stumbled around, holding his stomach, and almost fell straight into the lake.  
“Be careful!” I sprung to my feet and grabbed his arm as he tottered on the edge of the pier. A blush spread across my face again, but I needed to get him home safely. “Let me walk you home, at least... It’s dark.”

I dragged the drunken Shane by the arm until we reached Marnie’s ranch, steering him clear of every rock and tree along the way. By the time we got there, I was sweating – he towered over me in height, and he wasn’t exactly light either. Puffing for air, I said, “Okay, we’re here. Will you be okay getting into bed by yourself or should I come with you?” I immediately clammed up after saying that – I lost the ability to stop myself from saying suggestive things when I’d been drinking. “Er… N-nevermind. You’re probably fine.”  
“…See you around, Rain.” Shane mumbled as he stumbled into Marnie’s house, apparently walking into every wall on the way to his room from the bumps I could hear from outside.

I walked back to my farm through the south entrance, a little saddened. All this time I thought Shane was just kind of a grumpy jerk… Little did I know he was suffering. Little did anyone know, or even seem to care. At first I wanted to make friends with him so that he’d swallow his pride, to prove a point, I guess. But from then onwards, I knew that he was building walls around himself. That he was afraid. I clenched my fists in determination. “Shane… You’re not alone.”


	5. Spaghetti for Two

My stomach groaned as my burning eyes traced the creases of my palms, my feverish head resting in my hands. The elbows of my jacket were sticky from the residue on the Saloon’s bar – I felt so awful I actually had to sit down instead of standing in my comfortably secluded bar corner. With explosions going off in my head, I opened my hands slightly and looked down at my half empty pint glass, my stomach churning as the bubbles twisted on the surface of the beer. Hair of the dog never actually worked, but I could pretend. Still, I felt… Seriously awful. The box of city beer that Aunt Marnie bought me was empty when I woke up on the floor that morning, and I was still fully dressed… I must’ve drank it all and passed out. Groaning to myself, I once again covered my aching eyes with my hands. The ambient light of the Saloon was giving me a headache. “Shut up…” I whispered to myself as the obnoxious voices of the townsfolk pierced deep into my brain.

“Good evening, Emily!” Rain’s voice chirped as she burst through the Saloon door. Oh… My god. My head. As if it wasn’t already loud enough, the friendly neighbourhood foghorn decided to show up. A few seconds later, I heard some shuffling on the barstool next to me. “Hey, Shane!”

“Go away.” I mumbled, my hands muffling my voice.

“Oh~?” she said, knowingly. “You’re still being like this even after last night?” Last… what? What is she even—

_“Woman after my own heart.”_

A shock ran up my spine as my own words flashed through my mind. Last night… The beer. The lake. The way the moon illuminated Rain’s verdant green eyes. Wait, what? What even was that last thought? I felt the heat rising to my face as the events of the night before replayed in my mind. I sighed – to be carried home by a woman the size of a dormouse… How humiliating.

“Whatever, just—“ I tiredly lifted my head and my eyes met hers. She was sitting with her face resting on her hand, and she was a hell of a lot closer to me than I thought. I felt a hot sensation in my chest and averted my gaze. “Just… Keep it down, I feel horrible.”

“Aye aye, Captain,” Rain whispered with a playful grin. I rolled my eyes and knocked back the rest of my beer. It wasn’t fizzy anymore by then, and tasted fusty. As the liquid made its way down my throat, the gas in my stomach burst and it grumbled loudly. “Ugh…” That hunger pain… Usually the beer was enough to make me forget about it, but I was so weak that I couldn’t concentrate on anything else.

“Haven’t you had dinner yet?” Rain said nonchalantly, sipping some lemonade through a straw.

“Dinner?” I scoffed, “I haven’t eaten a thing today.” I pushed on my stomach slightly, trying to ease the pain.

“What? Why? Don’t you get a lunch break?”

“Under Morris’ regime? I’d be lucky.” I traced my finger around the top of the pint glass. “Would’ve defrosted a pizza for breakfast, but it hits a hangover stomach like a rock. So I’m probably better off without.”

“Don’t be stupid!” she slammed her fist on the bar suddenly, spilling a few drops of lemonade. “Hey, Emily! Can we get two plates of spaghetti over here?”

“Sure thing, Mira!” beamed the annoyingly happy blue haired barmaid before disappearing into the kitchen behind the bar.

“What are you doing?” I glared at Rain. She smirked back at me. “Don’t worry! This one’s on me.”

“Two plates of spaghetti?”

“What?” she cocked her head to one side jokingly. “You wanted to share a plate like in Lady and the Tramp?”

“Wha—“ I felt myself turning red, again. Why does this girl have to torment me? “No… That’s not it at all…” I sighed. “You don’t have the money for this. Forget it.”

“No, no, no!” she waved her index finger with a smile. “I shipped a bunch of cauliflowers the other day, so I can totally cover this!”

“Yeah… Not really filling me with confidence.” I sighed. But she just ignored me and kept smiling, blowing bubbles into her lemonade through the straw. What a sickly sweet scene.

Moments later, Emily emerged from the kitchen with two plates of steaming hot spaghetti, the noodles almost sliding straight off the plates. “Here ya go!” Setting the plates down, the barmaid winked at me and said, “You kids have fun now~” before skipping back to Gus’ side.

“Just do your goddamn job…” I whispered bitterly under my breath. Noticing the warm steam hitting my face from the plate in front of me, I looked down. Layers upon layers of shiny yellow strands of pasta in a rich red Bolognese sauce. It smelled… Incredible. When was the last time I’d eaten an actual hot meal? I couldn’t even recall. I could feel Rain looking at me from my left side. I swallowed hard, trying to hide my appetite, and glanced up at her.

“What are you waiting for?” she smiled sweetly before twirling a hefty amount of spaghetti on her fork. “Dig in, already!” I looked down at the plate, my mouth watering. Ah… What the hell. I shovelled forkfuls of the richly seasoned pasta into my mouth, and I swear I could’ve cried from how amazing it tasted. For the first time in a long time, I was eating something other than alcohol or tasteless freezer pizza. My stomach actually felt… Warm. I tensed up a little as I realised that the warmth wasn’t just from the temperature of the food – I was grateful. “…Thank you, Rain.” I mumbled, pasta sauce dripping from my chin. She looked up and grimaced a little at the mess I’d made before smiling again. “No problem! I wanted to celebrate my first crop shipment somehow anyway, and a nice hot meal really is the way to go!”

“Heh…” I wiped my chin with a napkin, though it was already a little sticky from the bar. “I can’t imagine it being easy for someone as petite as you to haul cauliflowers all day.”

“Hey. I may be small, but I’m strong enough to carry you home, don’t you forget!” she put her hand on her hip sassily. I smirked a little, but then… I mean, she wasn’t there in the morning, but… What if we… I choked on my spaghetti as a terrible thought crossed my mind. “Agh—“ I started having a coughing fit, smacking myself on the chest to try and get my breath back.

“Shane!” Rain exclaimed before she started pounding me on the back with her tiny hands.

“Ugh… I… I’m okay…” I sighed, catching my breath. “Er… Rain.”

“What is it?” Her wide eyes gleamed in the warm light of the bar.

“Uh…” My stomach tensed and I stumbled over my words awkwardly. I scratched the tip of my nose. “When… When you took me home.”

“Yeah?”

“Ugh…” I felt a little flustered, and my whole body felt hot at the thought. “What… Exactly happened?”

“Huh?” her brow furrowed, “Not much, really. I dragged you back to Marnie’s ranch and you stumbled through the door. Then I went home.”

“Ah…” I felt every muscle in my body relax, the sweat cooling on my forehead. So she didn’t go into the house with me after all.

“Why do you ask?”

“Eh? Oh…” I scratched the back of my head, forcing a smile awkwardly. “No reason.”

“Uh… Okay.” She was pensive for a moment, but of course, she couldn’t help but let her face form into a huge grin again as she finished her meal. “Really, though… No lunch breaks? None at all?”

“That’s right… Just… Shelves.” I felt my eyes glazing over as I thought about my pathetic excuse for a living. “Thank god I finally have a day off tomorrow.”

“Oh, really? Lucky you!”

“Well, not really… everyone has a day off tomorrow.”

“Eh?” Rain exclaimed with a sour expression. “And I still have to farm! Spring 23rd… What’s so special about that?”

“Well, nothing.” I scraped my fork along the plate, making line patterns in the last of the sauce. “There used to be some stupid dance on the 24th, apparently, but not this year.”

“…Is the dance tomorrow instead?”

“I dunno. All I know is that the Mayor wants everyone in Pelican Town to be there or whatever. Well, that’s what Aunt Marnie said.”

Rain giggled. “A spring dance doesn’t really seem like your scene.”

“I guess not,” I rolled my eyes and shrugged. “But, Gus tends to cater these events. He makes a pretty mean pepper popper selection, so I might show face.”

“Well, I guess it wouldn’t be a great impression for the new farmer to not show up, so I guess I’ll be there too.” She stood up suddenly, pushing her plate toward the back of the bar. “It’s getting late, so I should go. I’ll see you tomorrow, Shane!” Waving energetically, she headed out of the door and into the night. I watched after her in silence. Somehow, I’d gone from my mundane life to being wrapped up in a hurricane of this crazy girl. I sighed, but I smiled.

“Yeah. You will.”


	6. Dancing?

Mira’s P.O.V.

Sebastian glared down at me, his gaze piercing mine like a dagger. His face showed no emotion – none whatsoever – as I felt shivers run down my spine. It was only for a moment, but it felt like a lifetime – I could almost feel his ominous presence devouring mine. The atmosphere that he had created – his own devilish space – was engulfing me. My heart was pounding hard, my muscles tense. My breath was short. Then, without hesitation, his face pierced the very air with a sharp villainous smirk.

_No… No… No…_

He raised his hand. I held my breath. I knew it was already too late. His rugged lips parted as his face grew dark.  
“Attacking for six.”  
“God damn it!” I shouted, throwing my hand of cards down onto the table. “You beat me again!”  
“I told you blue-black decks were overpowered.” Sebastian chuckled, shuffling his deck before putting it back into its box.  
“I didn’t even get a chance to put my giant behemoth onto the field…” I pouted, arms crossed, glaring down at my pathetic excuse for a mana pool. Two mana cards all game! What use is that to anyone?  
“That was kind of the point.” He flicked his black fringe from in front of his eyes. “You got that thing on the field, I’d stand no chance.” Sebastian shuffled around the table to me and patted me on the head, sticking out his tongue. “Eh, it’s half luck. You’ll beat me eventually.”  
“Grr, as if I need luck to win!” I growled, irate after having Sebastian wipe the floor with me seven times in a row. Sebastian laughed, patting my head again. In a huff, I bit his hand. “Ow!” After that, we both burst out laughing.  
“Sebby?” Robin’s voice echoed from the top of the stairs. Sebastian sighed. “What?”  
“It’s almost 9am. We need to head to the forest soon, so get ready.”  
“Ugh…”  
“Sebby!”  
“Yeah, yeah, we’re coming.” He wiped his face with his hand, fed up.  
“Time to go?” I stood up, fumbling my shoes on.  
“Looks like it…” Sebastian grumped, blowing his fringe out of his eyes almost comically. “Horrible sunlight, here we come.”  
As soon as Sebastian had clad himself in layers upon layers of black clothes, the three of us headed down the mountain and through the town. No one was around, of course – they were all probably already in the forest. A little while later, we were there, too; a little makeshift bridge balanced over the chasm between the forest’s hills, and even though I objected saying it looked risky, Robin assured me that they ‘used this same bridge every year’. How many years ‘til it gives out? It made me nervous, but I steeled myself and walked across the bridge after Robin and Sebastian. And, hey, I didn’t fall to my death. All’s well that ends well.

As we approached the clearing, I noticed rows upon rows of buffet tables laid out on the soft green grass. “Gus really went to town this year,” Sebastian noted, almost impressed. Almost. As I scanned the tables looking for something sweet and sugary, I noticed a familiar man stuffing his cheeks with pepper poppers like a hamster. “Oh! Shane! Heeeey!” I jumped and waved my arms to get his attention – I’m short, you know. As my feet reached the ground again, I heard Sebastian sharply exhale beside me. Looking up at him, his eyes were daggers. I tilted my head to one side. “Seb? What’s wrong?”  
“Oh… Nothing.” His expression went blank.  
“I’m going to go see Shane. You coming?”  
“No.” Sebastian answered shortly, flicking a cigarette into his mouth. “I’mma go hang out with Sam for a while. Catch you later, Mira.”  
“Oh. Okay!” I smiled before running over to the buffet tables. “Hey, Shane! Didn’t you see me waving?”  
“Mmmmpf.” Shane tried to talk with a mouthful of pepper poppers. And he failed. Miserably.  
“Jeez… Ooh, chocolate cake!” I grabbed a slice of the fudgy goodness, getting the icing all over my fingers. I turned back to Shane, a little perplexed. “Er… Why are you in your Joja Mart uniform?”  
“I have no other clothes.”  
“Wait, what?”  
“I work every day,” he rolled his eyes, “why would I need to have other clothes handy?”  
“What about when you wash your work clothes?”  
“I don’t.” _Ew…?_ “I wish the mayor would hurry this shindig up so I can go to the Saloon. The lack of alcohol here is freaking me out.”  
“Hey, maybe it’s good for you to get some fresh mountain air away from beer,” I teased. Shane shook his head, clearly not convinced. He looked across the field all of a sudden, stuffing his face with another handful of pepper poppers. “Speak of the devil…”  
“Good morning, everyone!” mayor Lewis bellowed across the field. “Thank you for joining me on this beautiful sunny day!”  
“Get to the point, old man…” Shane quietly grumbled beside me.  
“Okay, let’s get to it!” Mayor Lewis shouted, as if reading Shane’s mind. “Everyone between the ages of eighteen and twenty-two, come over here!”  
“Looks like you’re up.” Shane muttered, still fixated on the buffet.  
“Er… Yeah, looks like it.” I really hope he doesn’t want us to dance… I was born with two left feet, and in the dew covered grass, dancing really wouldn’t end well for me.

Regardless, I walked across the field to where everyone else around my age was gathering. Pelican Town was a pretty small place, so all in all, there were only ten of us. Looking around, I could tell that everyone was just as clueless as I was about what was even going on.  
“You kids…” Mayor Lewis said dramatically, “are the future of Pelican Town!”  
“What?” Sam reflexively said.  
“Kids?” Sebastian grumbled.  
“As you all know, tomorrow’s Flower Dance is cancelled.” The Mayor continued. “The dance moves that symbolise love and happiness that have been passed down for generations… Such a shame…”  
“Duh. That dance is like, totally lame.” Emily’s little sister Haley said, twirling her shiny bleach-blonde hair around her index finger.  
“Chyeah. People don’t dance like that anymore.” Piped up Alex, clearly trying to show off in front of Haley. “Totally not cool.”  
“I don’t care if you think it’s uncool, Alexander!” The Mayor was red in the face. Alexander? Ouch. “This dance is an important tradition in this valley, whether you like it or not!”  
Everything went quiet. Well, aside from Sebastian and Sam giggling at Alex like little kids next to me. Finally, the Mayor composed himself, smiling as if nothing even happened. “So! Us old timers are a little past it when it comes to dancing, and you young’uns don’t seem to have any appreciation for traditions at all!” he glared at Alex as he said this, who averted his gaze. I felt a little disheartened by his remark. How could he say that? I live on a farm! How do you get more traditional than living on a FARM?! “Whilst I must sadly admit defeat and cancel the dance this year… Next year will be the biggest and best Flower Dance yet! And all of you will be the main event!”  
“Erm… What?” Sam looked confused. Well, he always looked confused, but even more so now – as was I.  
“This town needs more youthful spirit. More romance, like the good old days.” Mayor Lewis glanced over at Marnie, and winked. Eugh. “So, we’re expecting quite the spectacle from the likes of you – the future of our town!”  
“Wait, wait, wait.” Leah, the local artist, stepped forward. “You want us to dance next year? Just us?”  
“Precisely!” the Mayor enthused. I heard someone choke over at the buffet table – looks like Shane couldn’t hold in his laughter anymore. And he had a right to laugh – this whole situation was bizarre, verging on ridiculous. My stomach turned queasily. I didn’t want to dance. Even with a year to prepare, no amount of practice would make me a good dancer. “Oh!” a thought suddenly occurred to me, and I smiled discreetly. “Mayor Lewis, correct me if I’m wrong, but doesn’t this dance require two people together? People in love?”  
“Well… Yes.”  
“Well… None of us are in love! We… We can’t dance, right?” Maybe I said that a little too happily.  
“Yeah!” Sam piped up with too much enthusiasm. “I don’t want to do a stupid dance anyway!”  
“I-I don’t think I can dance, either…” murmured Penny quietly.  
The Mayor sighed, closing his eyes. “Ah, to be young and spirited…” he looked up at us again, smirking. “I thought you youngsters might say that. Which is why the best dancing couple will be awarded the titles of Dancing King and Queen!” Wow. I actually cringed a little, and I thought Sebastian was going to throw up from the look on his face. Surely the Mayor realised this would only make us want to take part even less?  
“Ooh! Dancing Queen?” Haley squealed, clapping her hands. “That’s like, so exciting!” _You have got to be kidding me._  
“Huh. Come on, Haley. We’ll wipe the floor with the other dancers.” Alex sneered, putting his arm around the excitable blonde.  
“It’s settled, then!” The Mayor exclaimed. “If you have any suggestions, talk to Robin or Caroline. They’ll be organising the event. Well, that’s all, everyone!”  
The townspeople started to disperse, but I just stood in place, dumbfounded. Making such a big deal out of dancing… My absolute worst nightmare.  
“Mira?” Sebastian said beside me. “You okay?”  
“…Yeah! I’m good.” I forced a smile. Sebastian laughed. “This whole thing seems pretty ridiculous, huh?”  
“Yeah…” I faked a laugh. “Yeah, it does…”

…

Shane’s P.O.V.  
Taking a big glug of beer, I slouched against the wall next to the fireplace. Finally, back at the Saloon… Being stuck on that mountain with the entire population of Pelican Town was driving me nuts. Plus, the Big Cheese decided to concoct another one of his ridiculous ideas, laughable though it was – it’s not like any of the younger townsfolk were actually going to bother. Speaking of which, I looked over at the motionless figure sat down on a bar stool next to me. “Rain?” I poked her arm. “You still alive? You’ve barely spoken since we got here.”  
“Ughhhh…” she responded, looking up at me with troubled eyes. “Shane… I can’t dance… This whole thing is crazy…”  
“Just ignore it.” I sipped my drink. “It’s hardly the first time the mayor’s come up with a stupid idea.”  
“Really?” Rain’s eyes suddenly lit up.  
“Yeah. Besides, you’ll have no problem dancing or whatever, what with your boyfriend.”  
“My… What?”  
“That goth kid?”  
“Wha— Sebastian?!” She looked almost offended. Did I get the wrong end of the stick here? “No, no, no! We’re just friends!” She waved her arms about frantically as if that would convince me.  
“Oh. I guess I just assumed, since you’re together a lot.”  
“Boys and girls can be friends, you know,” she raised an eyebrow at me, “besides, I spend more time with you than I do with Seb. And you work all day.” Rain indignantly took a sip of lemonade. My stomach turned a little at her words, and I looked down. She sighed, pouting like a baby. “I reaaaallly don’t want to dance. I don’t even know how.”  
“Heh. From what Aunt Marnie tells me, all the old married couples are the only ones who’ve been bothering to dance. But hey, maybe it’s good for you to give new things a try.” I teased as revenge for what she said on the mountain. I felt my mood grow a little darker as I got further towards the bottom of my pint glass. “Besides… World’s still full of opportunities for you. May as well take the ones you’re given.” Staring down into the glass in my hand, I noticed the bubbles swirling around and around in a circle… Trying so hard to keep moving forward, but winding up right back where they started every time. Such is life, I guess.  
“Hey.” Rain turned to me, her eyes suddenly serious. “About the other night…” I swallowed hard at her words, my body tense. “…Yeah?”  
“I won’t ask what happened to you. But… I know that you’ve been hurt.” She averted her gaze down at the bar, her fingers tracing the lines in the wood, her expression unreadably blank. “And I know how you feel.”  
“R-Rain…” I was taken aback. The happy-go-lucky, super eccentric girl in front of me just transformed a woman. No – she was always a mature, thoughtful woman. I was just too ignorant to see it. Albeit flustered, I was a little sad. Those eyes… The same eyes I see looking back at me in the mirror every morning. I didn’t know why I cared, but I did. It drove me crazy to think that Rain was feeling that very same pain. I wanted to say something to her… But I couldn’t find the words. She suddenly smiled very sweetly, two dimples showing themselves on her cheeks. “I just want you to know that you aren’t alone. That’s all.”

My heart was beating at a mile a minute, my hands shaking. Tell her she isn’t alone either. Say you’re here for her.

“…Yeah.”

Coward.

“…You know, I think Aunt Marnie knows how to dance.”  
“Really? D’you think she’d teach me?”  
“Maybe.” My stomach tensed. “…If you’re not busy… Why don’t you, er…”  
“Yeah?” Rain tilted her head to one side cutely, and my stomach did a backflip. Ugh, not now… I sighed, clearing my head. “Why don’t you meet me from work and come over tomorrow?”  
“Oh!” Her eyes lit up. “Great idea, Shane!”  
“Uh-huh…” I felt a sweat drop roll down my face. What have I gotten myself into…?  
“So, 5pm outside Joja Mart, right?”  
“That’s right…”  
“Great!” Knocking back the rest of her lemonade with a slight hiccup, she jumped up from the bar stool like she was ready to run a marathon. “I’ll get going home, then. See you tomorrow!” She beamed even brighter than yesterday before running out the door. Her leaving me in amazed bewilderment was apparently becoming part of my everyday life… And somehow, I was okay with that.

“…See you tomorrow, Rain.”


	7. I Heart Chicken

“…And what about the wood for the stage? Pine? No, that’s not really in season, is it? Hmm… Oak? Redwood? …Mira?”

After getting all of my farm work done in the morning, I spent most of the day at Sebastian’s place playing board games. It was getting late – towards the end of Shane’s shift, so I was taking my leave, Sebastian following close behind to see me to the door. But, of course, a very neurotic Robin intercepted me before I could get out of the door and started gushing to me about building everything for next year’s dance. She was a few types of wood away from talking my ear off.

“I think Oak might be nice,” I forced a smile, glancing repeatedly at the clock above Robin’s head, “Redwood has more of a Fall feel to it.”

“Oh… You’re right! Thanks, Mira! Now, what about—“

“Sorry, Robin, but I really have to be going,” I shuffled toward the door, “Next time, okay?”

“O-oh, okay, Mira!” she waved, “where could you be rushing off to?”

“I’m meeting Shane from work.” I responded with a smile.

“Tch.” Sebastian tutted behind me. _What is their problem with each other…?_ I shrugged it off. I didn’t have time to be dealing with some middle school-esque rivalry if I was going to make it down the mountain in time for 5pm.

 

“I’d better be on my way now! Bye, Robin! Bye, Sebastian!” I smiled as I walked out of the door into the warm evening glow, the two of them waving me off as I went. The walk down the mountain was much quicker than the hike up, though the muddy rock trail did trip me up a few times. The weather was steadily warming up in Pelican Town, and the grass down the mountainside was adorned with beautiful little white flowers. Smiling to myself, I followed the trail of flowers with my eyes until they rested upon something strange. “An… Apple?” I muttered to myself and I approached the round green object at the end of the white flowery trail.

“Ah!” I gasped. The apple… Looked at me! I fell back onto the muddy stones, staring at the sentient fruit, the apple also staring at me with a blank expression.

“U-umm… Hello…” I said awkwardly, most of the awkwardness a result of the fact that I just struck up conversation with a piece of fruit. The apple looked at me with slightly blushing cheeks, let out an almost ethereal squeak, and slowly toddled away on two stick-thin legs before phasing away through a grey brick wall. _Wh-what on earth…? Could that have been… Some sort of spirit?_ Staring at the spot where the little apple was just standing, I stood up, my eyes tracing up the wall. Two much worn redwood doors and a huge broken clock face stood tall – albeit crumbling – before me. “The… Community centre?” I whispered to myself in awe.

“Hey~! Mira!” a girl’s voice called out to me, snapping me out of my stupor. “Over here!”

“…Leah?” I followed the voice to the river where, as predicted, the flame-haired artist was sitting, sketchbook in hand. On her left were Maru and Penny, with Haley and Alex standing together to her right. “Oh! Hey, guys!” I beamed.

“Afternoon, Mira,” Maru grinned at me, pushing her glasses back up her nose. “We’re making the most of the warm weather. Want to come sit with us?”

“I’d love to—AH!” I shouted, “What time is it?”

“Umm…” Penny looked at the watch around her pale slim wrist, “It’s 4:58.”

“Shoot! Sorry, Maru, but I have to go meet Shane from work!”

“Like, what the heck is up with you two?” Haley snarled, blowing her blonde bangs out of her face. “Hanging around with some drunken old man who thinks he’s too good for the rest of us… Are you, like, after his secret riches or something?”

“Wh-“ I stuttered. _What is that even supposed to mean?_ Shane’s not an old man. He’s only 26 – only four years older than Haley. “He’s my friend. That’s all there is to it.” I smiled awkwardly.

“Like, whatever,” Haley rolled her eyes, appraising her geometrically perfect pink manicure. “Just seems creepy to me.”

I rolled my eyes in return resisting the urge to point out that my social life is none of Haley’s business, and waved at everyone before hastily making my way across the river and running up the hill to Joja Mart. Leaning on the giant blue eyesore of a sign was an auburn-haired man clad in a scruffy, torn up blue Joja Mart work jacket and green crew length work shorts. “Shane!” I panted, “Sorry I’m late!”

Shane looked me up and down critically with cynical eyes. “What in the hell happened to you?”

“What?” I looked down at my blue dungarees. Well, they weren’t really very blue anymore – they were completely caked in mud from my fall earlier. I didn’t notice before, but my hair was all over my face, too, probably from the uphill run. I looked down, turning pink – I didn’t really know why, but it was a little embarrassing for Shane to see me in such a mess. “Oh… I… Kinda fell on my way down the mountain. But I’m fine!” I smiled wide, hoping there was no mud in my teeth.

“Jeez, Rain, be careful…” Shane sighed. “Come on. You can borrow some clothes at Marnie’s.” He moved in close and untangled a twig from my hair. I blushed a little, trying not to breathe too heavily as his face was inches from mine. “Th… Thanks. Okay then, let’s go.”

The walk through town was scenic, but quiet. Shane walked silently with his hands in his pockets for most of the way, his dulled eyes never faltering from the path ahead. For some reason, I was nervous to be going home with him, so I didn’t say much. Sure, I’d been to Marnie’s ranch tons of times since I moved in, but I hadn’t been to Marnie’s ranch with _Shane_ before. Why did that even matter? Beats me. Either way, I was a little on edge, and still felt somewhat awkward. I almost asked Shane how his day was, but from the look on his stubbly face I decided against it for fear of him spiralling into some sort of nihilistic anecdote about how he’ll never escape from the clutches of Joja. Relatable, though. Something was bothering me, though, so I struck up the nerve to ask. “Hey… Is there a problem between you and Sebastian?”

“Who?”

“Er… Black hair, black clothes…”

“The goth kid?”

“Yeah, I guess so…?” I sighed.

“Barely even know him. Never spoken to him.”

“Oh…” I tilted my head to one side, confused.

“Why?”

“No reason, really…”

Eventually, the street lights led us to the edge of the forest, and Marnie’s ranch was in sight. Shane opened the door and I followed him in.

“Ah! Welcome home, little nephew!” Marnie chirped eccentrically. _Little nephew…?_ I had to stop myself from giggling. That nickname paired with Shane’s demeanour… Ahh, sweet irony. “Oh dear, Mira! What happened to you? You’re all covered in dirt!”

“I just tripped up a little. No big deal.” I smiled back.

“If you’re sure, dear. I have a little paperwork to finish up here, so make yourself comfortable for a while!”

“Come on,” Shane grumbled, heading toward the door on the far right. “I’ll find you some clothes.”

“Okay~” I smiled, following Shane into what I presumed was his room. Walking apprehensively through the door into the small room, I saw that it was pretty empty. I don’t like to admit being so judgmental, but I expected Shane’s room to be kind of a mess. Instead, a chair, lamp, alarm radio and bed were neatly tucked to the right side of the room, with a TV to the left. “Feel free to play a game or whatever while I find you some clothes,” he mumbled, sticking his head under his bed.

“Sure!” I sat down in front of the TV set. “Wow, you managed to get a Mega Station all the way out here in the country?”

“It’s one of the few things I brought from the city. So, no.” he said shortly.

“Huh.” I looked at the top of the Mega Station, and noticed a suspiciously familiar black box. “I-is this a Code Sultan?! Shane, have you been using cheat codes?!”

“Maybe,” I heard him smirk.

“Jeez…” I shook my head, smiling to myself. Looking down to my right, I noticed an open book left lazily on the floor. “How to Raise Chickens…” I mumbled to myself, reading the cover. “Shane, you’re interested in farming?”

“Pff, I dunno…” a muffled voice came from under the bed. “Marnie just had it laying around and I was bored.” Shane finally re-emerged from beneath his bed, a white t-shirt in hand. “Here.”

I took the t-shirt. It was soft cotton. “I thought you said you didn’t have any other clothes?”

“…Aunt Marnie got it me as a present when I first moved here.” He seemed sulky as he said this. Curious, I opened the shirt. The letter I, a big red heart and a picture of a cartoon chicken. “I heart chicken…?” I giggled.

“Don’t laugh…” Shane sulked some more. “I didn’t ask for it. Just get changed, okay?”

“Okay, but…” I felt a bit flustered. “C-could you turn around or something?”

“Oh, er, yeah…” Shane scratched the back of his head awkwardly before turning to face the wall. I took off my blue dungarees and then the rest of my outer clothing, until I was stood in my underwear. In the same room as Shane. How embarrassing… I tried to unfurl the t-shirt as fast as I could.

“Are you done ye—“

“DON’T TURN AROUND!”

“S-sorry… Rain…”

“Jeez…” I puffed my cheeks out, feeling sheepish. Finally I dove head-first into the t-shirt, trying to fight my way through it. “This t-shirt is huge! I feel like I’m drowning in it!” I mumbled to myself, though I could’ve sworn I heard Shane snicker. _Jerk._ I eventually managed to find the head hole and pulled the poultry-loving t-shirt straight. The mud had soaked through to my trousers so I had to take those off too, but luckily the t-shirt was so long on me that I could pretty much wear it as a dress. Either I was really short, or Marnie had no idea how to pick sizes. “Ah… All done!”

“Took long enough,” Shane quipped sarcastically as he turned back around. Then he just stood stock still, poker faced, his eyes fixated on me.

“E-er…” I did my best to hide my red cheeks. “Are you okay there, Shane?”

“What?” he snapped back into motion. “Oh… Y-yeah. I’m good.” He averted his gaze. I started to feel self-conscious and pulled at the bottom of the t-shirt a little.

“Are you ready for your dancing lesson, Mira?” Marnie creaked open the door. “Oh! Nice t-shirt!” she winked, as if she’d forgotten that she was the one who bought it. I could almost sense Shane rolling his eyes. “Heh… Thanks…” I smiled awkwardly. “I’m ready to dance, I think.”

“Wonderful! I’ve locked up so I can teach you on the shop front. There’s more space out there.”

“Okay!” I followed after Marnie. “See you later, Shane!”

“Break a leg.” Shane murmured sardonically.

 

…

 

“Agh!” I tripped over and found myself in a heap on the wooden shop floor. Again. Marnie had been attempting to teach me to ballroom dance for three hours, and it was official – I had two left feet. “Ugh… Marnie, I don’t think I can keep this up…”

“Maybe we should call it a night, in that case?” Marnie grinned.

“But I still can’t dance… I’m still awful…” I panted. I had no idea how Marnie managed to endure dancing for so long and not even get out of breath.

“Hmm…” Marnie pulled up a stool and sat beside me. “Why don’t you come over once a week? We’ll chip away at it gradually, and by this time next year you’ll be the greatest danseuse Pelican Town has ever seen!”

“I doubt that somehow…” I grumbled, picking myself up off of the floor. “But if you’re willing to teach me, I’d love to give it a try!”

“Of course!” Marnie smiled. I headed back to Shane’s room to get my shoes.

“Is it over?” Shane looked around comically. “The house is still in one piece.”

“Pff, very funny,” I glared, wrestling on my boots.

Shane chuckled to himself before kneeling down next to me. “No but seriously, how’d it go?”

“I’m probably the worst dancer in the world…” I sighed, tying my laces. “But Marnie says she’ll teach me a little every week. So maybe I won’t be totally hopeless come next year.”

“Huh.”

“Oh! I almost forgot to give you this shirt back…” I looked down at the cartoon chicken on my belly.

“…Hang onto it for a while if you want.” Shane said nonchalantly.

“A-are you sure…?”

“Yeah. I’m not gonna wear it anyway.”

“Why? It’d look cute on you!” I teased.

“Pfft…” Shane responded. He and Marnie walked me to the door.

“Oh dear, are you sure you’ll be okay in the dark in just that t-shirt? Won’t you be cold?” Marnie fussed.

“My farm’s just north of here, so it’s no problem!” I smiled back as I headed out into the night. “Bye, Marnie! Bye, Shane!”

“Take care, Mira, dear!”

“Later, Rain.”

 

…

 

It had been a few days since then. It was the last day of spring, so the weather was really heating up as we headed toward summer. It was around 9pm, and I was sitting out on the pier on the forest lake with Shane. That had been the daily norm lately; after work was done we’d meet at the Saloon, stick around for a drink or two and then sit on the pier away from the world. The other villagers around my age had been looking down on us quite a lot, though. I didn’t really understand it. But once we got to the forest, it didn’t matter. No one came out here at night. No one could see or hear us. It was peaceful. I couldn’t remember the last time I was this comfortable with someone, and Shane seemed to have loosened up from being the dismissive jerk he was when we met.

“Hey, Rain…” the moon reflected off of his deep brown eyes as he stared out into the water. “I’m… Sorry if I was rude to you when we first met.” My eyes widened a little. _It’s like he’s reading my mind. Spooky._

“It’s fine… We’re friends now and that’s all that matters, right?”

“Yeah…” a hint of a smile showed on Shane’s slightly tipsy face. “I guess I’m not used to people actually wanting to deal with me.”

“Heh, at least you have that luxury,” I jested, “as the resident farmer, I kinda have to get along with everyone.” My sober thoughts were leaking out of my drunken mouth.

“Must be nice to be a farmer. No boss to bother you. Just… Plants and chickens.” Shane had a faraway look in his eyes. Maybe he was drunker than I thought. Or maybe he was thinking out loud, too… That book I found on his floor… ‘How to Raise Chickens’? Shane worked every day and he was out and drunk every night. There’s no way he’d have spare time to read unless he actually wanted to.

“Hey…” I scooted my legs around on the pier to make my body face Shane. “Have you ever considered trying your hand at farming? I mean… You live on a small ranch.”

“…I dunno. I don’t think Aunt Marnie would want a useless sponge like me messing around with her animals.”

“Hey…” I placed my hand on Shane’s shoulder. He tensed instinctively, but relaxed to my touch. “You aren’t useless… And I don’t think you give enough credit to how much your Aunt cares about you.”

“I… don’t know…” he slurred.

“Look at me,” I moved my hand up to his cheek, gently guiding his face in my direction. His deep chestnut eyes met mine, captivating me. He drew in closer, resting his forehead against mine. He had a bit of a temperature – it was probably the alcohol. His beer-scented breath tickled my nose as we stared into each other’s eyes. “It’s easy to fall into the trap of feeling like you don’t matter,” I whispered, letting the alcohol unlock the gate to my true thoughts. “But, you do. You matter to me. To Marnie and Jas too if you let them in. I know it’s hard, but… Maybe try to reach out a little, y’know?”

“Huh…” Shane looked down, conflicted thoughts swirling in his eyes. Only then did I realise how close together our lips were. Swallowing hard, I did my best to stay as still as possible. His eyes flicked back up to meet mine, and my stomach did a backflip.

“Rain…” he whispered.

“What… What is it?” I said, as calmly as I could.

“I…” Shane finally collapsed, resting his head on my shoulder. “I don’t feel well.”

I stared past him for a moment, feeling his warmth resting over me. I smiled to myself, stroking his back to comfort him. “Jeez… I really have to carry you home again?”

“Heh heh… Sorry…” Shane slurred his words as I pulled him to his feet. “I’ll carry you next time…”

“It’s a date,” I said, thinking out loud. _Eek. Thank god he’s drunk._

Once again, I lugged the drunken Shane back to his house, and watched as he stumbled into absolutely everything on his way to his room. “See you tomorrow, Rain…” I heard him sigh tiredly.

“Yeah.” I grinned, closing the door quietly before taking the north path up to my farm.

“Whew…” Such a relief it was to finally flop into bed. I took off my farming clothes and put on the t-shirt that Shane lent to me. It made a really comfy night shirt. And besides… I couldn’t quite place it, but there was something comforting about wearing it. Comforting on the inside.

“Goodnight, Shane,” I whispered sleepily as the soft embrace of sleep took over.


	8. Storms of the Past

Summer. Bright, sunny summer. Sticky, sweaty, horrible summer. Only the first of the month and I was already waking up stuck to my bedsheets with sweat. Great. It was only 7am but Aunt Marnie was already awake, harping on at me about how excited she was about the warmer weather, but what intrigued me was what she said next, pointing to a sickly looking triple tiered pink cake with a big number 20 on it on the kitchen counter.

“Her… Birthday?”

“Yes!” Aunt Marnie clapped her hands together lightly. “Mira and all her little friends are gathering down at the beach tonight. I made her a big cake by that nice girl Haley’s request! Isn’t it just wonderful?”

Nice girl, huh? Deluded. “…It’s great.” I turned to leave for work.

“Oh! Shane!” Marnie called after me. “You will be there, won’t you? Tonight? It starts at about four so you’ll be a little late, but…”

Ugh, fantastic. Rain’s one thing, but all the other jerks in town? Hell no. “…I’ll see what time I get off work.” In other words, ‘I’m going to avoid it at all costs’.

“Great!” Aunt Marnie beamed. I felt a little uneasy… Held back, even… Why?

_I know it's hard, but… Maybe try to reach out a little, y'know?_

Rain… Maybe she was right, but…

“…Marnie?”

“What is it, little nephew?” she looked at me almost as if she was shocked I could even talk. I swallowed hard.

“I…”

_You’re worthless._

_You shouldn’t have bothered._

_You brought this on yourself._

“…Nothing. I’m leaving now.” I headed out of the door. _Shane, you goddamn coward._ I shook myself out of my thoughts and started the horribly sunny walk to work. The work day felt slower than usual with the sticky heat limiting my movements. Stupid Morris rule number one; employees can’t take off their jackets, even during desert-like weather. Jerk. Stupid Morris rule number two; air conditioning costs money, so let’s not use it when the store is practically an oven. It was going to be a long day.

 

…

 

Somehow, I managed to get through another day without punching Morris in his stupid face – probably because the heat sapped all of my energy before I could even think about getting a swing in. One day. The sky was finally starting to cloud over by the time I crossed the river, and the evening air was cooling down. I breathed in a lung full of the colder air, cooling my body down. I stretched out my arm and a few droplets of water fell on my hand. _It’s… raining?_ A full-blown thunder storm quickly started up, taking full advantage of the pressure in the hot air. Fantastic. Before long I was completely drenched, raindrops pelting the cobbled pavement and bouncing back off. _Geh… This weather makes me thirsty…_ I walked briskly to the entrance of the Saloon, glancing down at the beach. _They must all be soaked by now. Idiots._ I mused to myself. After half considering heading down there, I decided against it. If they were stupid enough to stay out in a storm, I wasn’t about to join in their brainlessness. I walked into the Saloon instead.

“Oh! Shane!” a surprised voice exclaimed. I looked up to see two wide green eyes staring at me, blue dungarees and all. Everything was dry, from her work boots to her chocolate brown hair. She missed the storm?

“I thought you were at the beach.” I sat down at the bar beside her.

“Well, yeah, I was…” she rubbed the back of her head awkwardly. “Me and Emily saw the storm clouds and tried to warn everyone. They wouldn’t listen, so… We just kinda left. Hehe.”

“…You left all of your party guests in a storm?”

“Hey, I—“ she stuttered, puffing out her cheeks comically. “It’s not my fault if they wouldn’t listen! Jeez…”

“Whatever,” I smiled at the thought of the townsfolk looking like drowned rats. I called over to the blue haired barmaid who was polishing glasses. “A beer and a lemonade.”

“Coming right up~” she chimed annoyingly before pouring and serving our drinks. “I’ll be in the back taking inventory. You crazy kids behave now!” _Goddamn busybody…_

 

Rain was telling me all about her birthday party, or what of it she was actually around for. “And then Sam nearly fell in the ocean!”

“Yeah.”

“And Haley ate most of the cake even though she said she was on a diet…”

“Mhm.”

“And then I built a huge sandcastle but the tide knocked it right over!”

“Ah.” I don’t know… I wanted to be excited for her. Really. I felt pretty bad for being such a grump on her birthday, but… I just couldn’t. I just didn’t feel right. Eventually she’d expended all of her birthday energy and just sat blowing bubbles into her lemonade. I knocked back the last of my beer and rested my chin on my palm.

“…It was stormy that day, wasn’t it?” Rain suddenly broke the silence.

“What?”

“You always drink more when the weather’s bad.” I turned to look at her. She was still staring down at her drink, stirring it with her straw, but she looked serious. Sombre. It always surprised me how she could just turn on a sixpence like that. It surprised me more how she’d managed to notice something even I didn’t.

“…Yeah. It was.” I responded quietly. Still she said nothing. I looked around the bar; everyone else must’ve still been making their way up from the beach, and Emily was out of earshot in the back room of the Saloon. I took a deep breath in, ready as I’d ever be to release what I’d let quietly eat at me for the longest time. “My ex and I were together for about three years. It wasn’t perfect. We argued a lot and I pretty much let her get her way with whatever she wanted even if it hurt me, because I…” I cleared my dry throat, already feeling uncomfortable. “Because I loved her.” I circled the top of my glass with my finger, letting the film of my mind wind back to that day. “Last summer we were doing a lot better. We were living together. We were stable and… I was happy. I’d also started up a business with my best friend. For the first time in my life I felt like everything was going my way. But it wasn’t.” I felt my hand ball into a fist as a small hot feeling rose through my chest, but it quickly dissipated. I was too tired to feel any of that anymore. “I was on my way home from the part-time job I had at the time. A storm started up and cut the power in the shop, so I was told to clock off early. I ran back to the apartment – I couldn’t wait to see her. And… Yeah. I saw her. And my best friend. Together.”

“I’m… I’m so sorry.” Rain’s voice shook quietly. I sighed as I found the will to continue. Pandora’s box was already open – no use in stopping now.

“Turns out they’d been seeing each other for a long time before that. And for her, he wasn’t the only one. I was scared… I was scared that I was going to lose everything. My business. My home. The love of my life. So I forgave them.”

“You…?”

“Yeah. I know it’s crazy,” I laughed a little in self-pity. “They promised me so many things after that but, it was all lies. He took the business from under me. She kicked me out. They’re probably living it up together as we speak.”

“That’s terrible… They’re… terrible…” I could almost hear the tears in her eyes.

“I bounced between jobs that barely paid and apartments that I couldn’t afford. Even slept rough for a while. Before I knew it I was just another nameless alcoholic living on the streets. Until finally word came that Aunt Marnie was living here in the valley and offered me a room. I kept my distance from everyone here after what happened… Then I wound up at Joja Mart…” I sighed to myself, realising how one stupid act of selfishness made my life spiral down so hard. “I guess I shouldn’t complain… I have a roof over my head… An income… Ehh…”

“No.” before I even realised it her arms were around me in an embrace. My heart fluttered. _Ahh… Don’t tense up, Shane… Don’t be weird…_ I relaxed into her touch, as much as I could. Then she broke the embrace and stared into my face. “You lost everything that mattered to you… There’s no shame in being damaged by it.”

“Y-yeah…”

“It’s hard when someone breaks your trust. I know.” She averted her gaze. “But it’s worth it to realise that not everyone’s like that. Not everyone will betray you. Marnie won’t… I won’t.”

“Rain…” I frowned, “I know you’re right, but…”

“Did you give any thought to what I said last night? About trying to reach out?”

“Uh, yeah…” I recalled my epic failure at trying to talk to Aunt Marnie. “It didn’t go well. I chickened out.”

“Oh… really?” she gloomed. “Well… What is it you wanted to ask her, anyway?”

“About chickens,” I sighed.

“I thought so…” she smiled knowingly. “How long have you been interested in farming?”

“Eh, I’ve given some thought to it for a while now,” I shrugged, “I kinda feel like… If I could reset my life, maybe I’d start a chicken farm… Free range, of course.”

“That sounds great!” Rain giggled, before growing serious again. “But… You couldn’t ask Marnie after all, huh?”

“Yeah… I just… Every time I try something new, it goes horribly wrong.” I shuffled my glass between my hands on the bar. “You learn to just stay in a shell.”

“Ahh, well, you know…” Rain thought hard for a moment, “Snails!”

“…Snails?”

“Yeah! If a snail never comes out of its shell because it’s scared of exposing its vulnerable parts, it can never eat any lettuce!”

“Er…” I didn’t really get what she was saying. Nonetheless, she stared at me expectantly with a wide smile and gleaming eyes. I cracked a smile. “Yeah, I… Guess you’re right.”

“Yeah!” she beamed, placing her hand on mine. _Oh god._ I could already feel my pulse start to pick up. _Don’t move… Don’t breathe…_ She looked up at me again with those eyes. Those deep, gorgeous eyes that I could feel myself getting lost in. Her gaze was enduring, never wavering as she drew me in. “Let’s bring you out of your shell.” She said, crinkling her nose sweetly.

 _…She’s right._ I’d become so encapsulated by her radiant face that I could feel myself tipping forward toward her, only managing to stop myself inches from her face. I swallowed hard. We’ve been here before… But not this time. It became obvious to me in that moment – mostly because I’m a complete moron and didn’t realise any sooner. How my heart flutters and my stomach twists. How her eyes and her smile and just, everything about her made me feel warm inside. Warm, for the first time for as long as I can remember. How every room gets brighter when she walks into it. I thought I’d never be able to do this again, but I…

“Rain.” I swept the hair out of her dazzling eyes.

“Wh-what is it, Shane?” Just hearing the way my name sounds on her heavenly voice affirms this feeling. The hint of pink rising to her soft cheeks as her eyes gaze into mine, her lips parted. Her lips begging for mine. Say it. Say it now.

“Rain, I—“

“Ugh! Like, what the hell kind of freakish storm is this?!” The Saloon door slams open. I draw my hand back. “My shoes are, like, totally ruined!”

_Fuck._

“Oh! Haley!” The blue-haired barmaid poked her head around the backroom door. “Wow, what happened? You look awful!” she giggled. Her sister ignored her.

Everyone finally made their way up from the beach, drenched and covered in sand. Would’ve been quite the spectacle, too, if it wasn’t so poorly timed. I put my head in my hands as angry footsteps rushed over to the birthday girl. _Kill me._

“Like, why’d you just leave us to come hang out with this guy, Mira?!” The dumb blonde, soaked to her skin, gave me a dirty look. Like I cared.

“I tried to tell you a storm was coming…” Rain responded awkwardly, “I didn’t want to get caught out in it is all.”

“Whatever,” the blonde scoffed, “anyway, I hope your birthday was totally fab. I’m gonna, like, go take a bath. Ciao!”

“Okay, bye,” Rain waved with a sigh. “Anyway,” she turned to me abruptly. “What were you saying?”

“Er…” I stuttered. There was no way I could confess to her in front of the whole town… No way at all. “I… I forget.”

“Oh…” she tilted her head to one side. “Well, in that case, let’s go see Marnie!” She pushed me from my barstool towards my Aunt. “Wh-why?!” I objected.

“Go on! Go say what you wanted to!”

“Rain, I can’t.”

“Yes you can,” she smiled, still pushing me. “I’m right behind you. Literally!”

“Gah…” I sighed. Before I knew it, I was right in front of my Aunt. She looked awful – her hair and clothes were drenched, but she was still grinning as she always did, a glass of wine already in her hand. “Oh, little nephew,” she smiled, “is everything alright?”

“Yeah, I, uh…” words escaped me. I fidgeted on the spot – it felt like the whole world was staring at me. But then I felt Rain’s small hands on my back, pushing me to move forward. Figuratively and literally. “I… Aunt Marnie.” I paused, collecting my thoughts. “I’m… kinda… interested in caring for chickens and I was wondering… Kind of… If you could… show me how…” my voice trailed off into a quiet mumble. Who knew Aunt Marnie had such a solid poker face – I couldn’t tell what she was thinking at all. What felt like hours passed before she smiled wider than I’d ever seen her smiled before and almost shout, “Aww, Shane! I’d love to help you!”

“Heh… Well, thanks… Marnie.” I mumbled awkwardly before hightailing it back to my seat at the bar, flustered. “You did it!” Rain chirped happily. I smiled to myself. “Yeah… I did.”

The peace didn’t last for long. A guy with blonde spiky hair approached her. Sam – I recognised him from work. Lucky bastard gets better shifts than me. He spoke kind of like an over excited puppy. “Hey, Mira! Me and Seb were going to play some pool. Wanna come with?” I gazed up slightly and noticed the goth kid glaring at me from beside Sam, his stupid black fringe hanging flat over his left eye, dripping wet. _Whatever._

“Um, maybe, but I was just having a drink with Shane—“

“No, I was just leaving.” I pushed my hands into my pockets and stood up.

“But, Shane…” I heard Rain’s voice from behind me. Turning around I saw her sad eyes gazing up at me. It hurt my heart… It really did. Either side of her, though, was Sam who was apprehensive of me at best, and the goth kid who apparently couldn’t stand my presence. Truly a rose between two thorns. “I was gonna get an early night anyway,” I mumbled, waving to her once. “Happy birthday, anyway.”

“Thanks…” she offered me a small smile, but I could see right through it. She wasn’t happy at all…

It was hard to sleep that night. My head was filled with nothing but regret of what I didn’t get the chance to say. That, and gut wrenching images of Rain’s sad eyes. Then, once again, in the solitary darkness of my room, the doubts crept in and lulled me unwillingly to sleep. _Why am I such a loser…? Why would someone like her even like me anyway? Maybe I should just… Keep it to myself…_

 

…

 

It had been a few days since Rain’s birthday, but the storm wasn’t letting up just yet. It had been going on for days – which made the fact that it was Jas’ birthday even more difficult. “But I wanna go play out with Vincent!” she shrieked multiple times throughout the morning, teary eyed.

“Look, dear, it’s not safe to go out today. I know, why don’t I bake you a big cake?” Aunt Marnie negotiated.

“Yeah! Yeah!” the kid heard the word ‘cake’ and suddenly forgot her troubles. Oh, to be young.

“Run along and play, now. We’ll have a little party for you here later.”

“Okay!” Jas skipped to her room merrily. Aunt Marnie turned to me. “Shane, dear, could you go into the coop and feed my girls for me?”

“Of course,” I said almost happily, trying not to sound too excited. Since the storm took out Joja Mart’s power supply – hallelujah – Marnie had spent the past few days teaching me how to care for her chickens. It was great – I felt like I was actually enjoying myself, like I had some purpose for once. I couldn’t help feeling like I was just getting under my Aunt’s feet, though. Nevertheless, I headed through the right-hand door in the kitchen and into the coop. As soon as Cluckles and Peep saw me come through the door they were in a flurry of excitement, clucking and flapping wings. Yes, I gave Marnie’s chickens secret names. Sue me. I lifted the big bag of feed from the corner and poured it into the feeders before carefully searching the hay floor for eggs.

I stayed in the coop for a while after that, listening to the raindrops on the tin roof and the satisfied clucks at my feet. When I went back into the kitchen, Aunt Marnie and Jas were stood next to the counter, atop which was a big pink cake, much like the one Marnie made for Rain’s birthday. As soon as they saw me I felt a little uncomfortable; the whole ‘family’ scene wasn’t really something I was used to. My parents never cared much for me and realistically, I barely knew Marnie or Jas.

“Auntie! Auntie! Let’s cut the cake!” Jas jumped up and down excitedly. Marnie looked up at me, seeming to appraise my unnerved expression, and smiled. Handing Jas the cake cutter, she said, “Why don’t you go and ask cousin Shane if he’ll cut it?”

Jas took the cake cutter from Aunt Marnie, and looked sheepishly at me for a moment before beaming with glee and bounding over to me, holding the cake cutter up to me.

“W-will you cut my birthday cake for me, cousin Shane?” she said, smiling shyly. I slowly took the cake cutter from out of her hands, a fuzzy feeling in my stomach. I smiled down at my cousin.

“I’d be happy to.”


	9. Cherophobia Come True

**Mira’s P.O.V.**

“Oh! I’ve got you now!” I shouted, pulling hard on my fishing pole. It was about 7:30 in the morning and I was sat by the river outside of Emily’s house, doing some early morning fishing. It was Summer 9th and the sun had finally shown itself after days upon days of stormy weather, so it was the perfect time to get out and make the most of it. I’d been trying to catch a rainbow trout at Robin’s request, but the fish had been eluding me so far… But I was so close I could almost taste it.

“You’re MINE!” I gave the bamboo rod one last hoist before watching the rainbow trout break through the water’s surface, the sun reflecting off its multi-coloured skin as it flew through the air in an arc, finally landing in my lap, flopping about. “Ahh… COLD!” I gasped, the damp, slimy fish slipping through my fingers until I finally managed to place it into the water bucket beside me, feeling prideful. Luckily, the sun quickly started drying up the wet patch on my overalls. As I watched the fish swim around in the bucket drawing a figure of eight with its iridescent tail, I caught sight of a blue jacket approaching down the forest path out of the corner of my eye.

 

“Shaaaaaaaaane!” I sprung to my feet and ran down the path, springing into a jump hug. I wrapped my arms around Shane’s neck, feeling his breath tickle my ear as he tiredly sighed before gently prying me off of him. “What happened?” He glanced sceptically at the wet patch on my clothes, to my dismay. “Did you pee yourself?”

“Good morning to you too,” I puffed out my cheeks grumpily, “And no. I’ve been fishing.” I gestured to the bucket of water by the river.

“At this time in the morning? Crazy farmers,” he smirked, walking over to take a look at my catch. “How’d you manage in the storms?”

“Oh! Pretty well, actually,” I smiled. The storm had gone on for days, and since I had no animals on the farm yet, all I had to do was maintenance my crops and stop them from getting too waterlogged. It was a pretty dull few days, especially since the weather stopped me from getting into town to see anyone. “What about you? Joja Mart’s been closed until today, right?”

“Yeah, thank god for the break,” Shane’s face shone a genuine smile. “Aunt Marnie’s been teaching me about chicken care. She even lets me feed them.”

“Oh! Really?”

“Yeah,” he laughed energetically, “I’ve really grown attached to Marnie and Jas, you know. We’re not exactly an average bunch but it kind of feels like a family.” His face settled into a faraway expression as he watched the rainbow trout swim around in the bucket, the sun still reflecting off of its skin into lovely colours. “…I never really had much of a family as a kid. So this is something special to me.”

“That’s great, Shane!” I grinned. I felt warm inside knowing that he’d managed to reach out to Marnie and Jas – I couldn’t imagine being so distant to people living under the same roof as me. Just looking at his face made me feel strange; a good kind of strange, though. I’d never seen him smile so tirelessly.

“Yeah.” He turned my way, smiling back. “What’s the fish for, anyway?”

“Oh!” I looked at the rainbow trout. “Robin wanted me to catch one. Apparently Demetrius wants to study one.”

“Huh.”

“Fishing’s pretty fun,” I tilted my head to one side, a little proud of myself for finally catching such an elusive fish. “Maybe I’ll do a little fishing at the beach later.”

“You’re seriously going to risk going to the beach today?”

“I don’t really have a choice… I’ve lost my watering can and I think I dropped it at my birthday party…” I rubbed the back of my head awkwardly. “Since the weather’s slowly getting better now I can’t really afford to be without it.”

“Trust you…” Shane rolled his eyes. “What time were you even planning to go? It’s supposed to be rainy again tonight, you know…”

“Well I have to head up the mountain soon, and then I’m supposed to be planning some farm buildings out with Robin…” I pondered, staring down at my feet, “So I was planning to go down at about 6pm. I should be able to go find my watering can and get back to town just before the storm hits.”

“Ever the optimist,” he scoffed. “Speaking of time… I’m probably gonna be late to work at this rate…”

“Go, go!” I pushed Shane down the path lightly. “I’ll meet you at the Saloon later after I look for my watering can, okay? Then you can tell me all about your days off!”

“Alright, alright…” he sighed amusedly. “See you later then, Rain.”

“Yep!” I waved before putting my fishing rod away and unsteadily picking up the bucket. “Jeez, this is heavy…” I mumbled to myself, setting off toward the mountain.

 

…

 

It took me a while, but I finally, exhaustedly made it to the top of the mountain. The fish was still fine, too – I was off balance the whole way, but I’d managed not to spill more than a few drops of the water. I was panting by the time I turned the handle on the door to Robin’s house – the bucket was pretty heavy and the sun was bearing down on me. I stepped through the door into the shade and my whole body relaxed in cool relief.

“Ah! Mira!” Robin, who was behind the front desk as always, noticed me as I closed the door behind me. “I’ve drawn out all the plans for your coop! Did you bring the trout?”

“Yup!” I lifted the bucket precariously and held it out towards Robin.

“Great! Let me just get these papers in order and we’ll talk business. Could you go take that to Demetrius in the kitchen for me in the meantime?” She pointed to the kitchen with the tip of her pencil.

“Oh! Sure!” I toddled over to the kitchen, trying to stay balanced as to not spill water everywhere. Walking from the front desk to the kitchen was like travelling through time – the creaky hardwood floor became pristine white tiles. The whole room looked clinical – more like a lab than a kitchen – with little phials containing all sorts of weird looking liquids on the counters. In all the times I’d been to Robin’s house I’d either stayed at the front desk with her or been down in Sebastian’s basement room, so I’d never seen the rest of the house before. A tall, dark man in a blue t-shirt turned around to the sound of my footsteps, a clipboard in his hands. “Ah, if it isn’t Mira from the farm.”

“Hi!” I held up the bucket once again. “This is for you!”

“Oh!” He carefully reached for the handle of the bucket. “Thank you! I’m doing some research on the rainbow trout’s behaviour and diet.”

“Sounds… Fun!” I was lying. It sounded boring. But he seemed so into it, that it kind of made me happy to see.

“Yes, it’s really interesting stuff,” he smiled, placing the bucket on the kitchen counter.

“Mira!” Robin called, “I’ve got the plans ready!”

“Okay~!” I skipped along back to the front desk, a little thankful that I didn’t have to stick around to listen to Demetrius talk about his work. Robin’s desk was disorderly littered with papers, but somehow she seemed to know how they were all organised. “Right!” she hit the desk with her hand, looking purposeful. “Take a look at these plans. Then we can head down to your place and you can show me where you want it.”

“Okay!” I sifted through the pieces of paper looking at the designs and materials. She wanted to make it out of wood, and it looked like the dimensions were just the right size for the space I’d cleared, as predicted. I reached for my wallet. “It looks great, Robin! So this is 4000 gold, right?”

“That’s right,” she smiled, taking the money from me. “Shall we get going to your farm, then?”

“Yep!” We waved goodbye to Demetrius and set off down the mountain.

 

…

 

We made the journey down the mountain and through town. It was still scorching hot and the pressure in the air made it humid, but the trip was much easier without trying to balance a bucket of water. It took us a good few hours, but we made a fence around the area where Robin was going to build the coop – she seemed a little surprised that I’d managed to clear the space all by myself during the storm. “Whew, looks like we’re done,” Robin clapped the dirt off of her hands as the evening clouds started to gather in the sky, “Shouldn’t you be getting down to the beach? It looks like it’ll rain soon.”

“Oh, yeah,” I’d told Robin all about my watering can woes while we were making the fence, “I shouldn’t be too long, so hopefully I won’t get caught out in it.”

“I see,” she laughed. “Well, I’ll be back tomorrow to start the construction. Good luck at the beach, Mira!”

“Thanks!” I waved as Robin made her way back up the mountain via the path above the farm before setting off through town myself. The evening air had a cool breeze to it, but my clothes still stuck to me a little in the humidity. It was about 5:30pm by the time I made it to the beach, and after a quick scan of the area I couldn’t see my watering can yet. “Well, time to get looking,” I sighed, the sand shifting beneath me as I stepped.

“Agh… No good…” Digging in piles of sand, dismantling sand castles to look inside and tracing along the edge of the water all turned up nothing. I’d been there for much longer than anticipated and still hadn’t found what I’d come for. Little droplets started to appear on the surface of the sand, and I felt cold raindrops pelting my skin. Oh no, the flash flood’s coming… I was right. Before long the beach was a sea of its own, my disgruntled sighs drowning in the downpour. Just as I was about to give up hope and hightail it back to town I heard a metallic sound – like rain hitting a tin can. I looked down the pier. A silver object was being pelted by droplets of water. “Ah! My watering can!” I exclaimed to myself, running down the slippery pier. “Why are you even down here?” I picked up my watering can, talking to it as if expecting a response.

“I could ask you the same question,” a deep voice from behind caught me off guard, sending a shock up my spine.

“Ah!” I turned around sharp. A pale man wearing a black hoodie walked towards me down the pier, a black mop of hair stuck to his face with rainwater. “Sebastian?”

“Hey, Mira.” He smirked quietly, unfazed by the rain engulfing him. “I heard mum mention that you were coming down here. I saw the rainclouds gathering and I guess I got worried.”

“Ohh, I’m fine,” I pushed my wet hair out of my eyes, “I just came to look for my watering can. I was hoping to be here and back before the weather changed, though…”

“I dunno,” he mumbled, standing next to me at the edge of the pier, “I always thought the sea looked beautiful in the rain.” His eyes clouded over. “And sometimes it’s nice to come out here when no one else is around.”

“Yeah…” I stared out at the expanse of the sea. The torrent of rain that was overwhelming me just moments before really were just tiny drops in the ocean – literally – as I watched them become one.

“…I don’t feel that way around you, though.” He stood quietly for a moment before lifting up an umbrella and putting it up. “…We’re getting soaked. Come on, there’s room for two.” He glanced my way with a profoundly warm expression and offered a small smile. Time seemed to slow down as I stared at his face. “Ah… Okay.” I smiled back a little shyly, shuffling under the umbrella with Sebastian, our arms touching, strands of his black hair tickling my cheek. Now that we were being masked from the rain and I could see him properly, the way Sebastian’s clothes clung to his body in the rain showed that, for a shut-in type of guy, he was actually quite muscular. I held onto the umbrella’s handle with my right hand, and his hand overlapped mine. It was warm, but damp from the rain. We stared out into the sea in a comfortable silence, the sound of the raindrops pelting the umbrella all we could hear.

 

**Shane’s P.O.V.**  
I stood in the middle of the beach, the rain drenching my skin and clothes, the wet sand getting into my shoes and between my toes. I couldn’t really feel it, though. I could only feel a sensation burning up through my stomach and into my chest. A green monster setting a fire in my heart.

When I finished work I saw the clouds starting to gather and I figured a storm was about to break, so I thought I’d head to the beach and help Rain look for her watering can… Or maybe I was just looking for an excuse to see her. Since no one would be going to the beach that day because of the forecast warnings, I thought that maybe I’d get to see her alone, and… Well… Tell her how I felt. I was nervous about it and had my doubts, but I could barely be around her without getting lost in her eyes and her full-of-life aura. That morning, after having not seen her for days, it took every part of me not to just kiss her there and then. I spent the whole walk from work psyching myself up to tell her what she meant to me, and I finally felt ready – well, as ready as a loser like me could ever be to confess to an amazing, beautiful woman. The last few steps onto the beach sent my heart and stomach into a flutter, my breath becoming a little short. Then, my eyes scanned up the beach through the flood and the flutters stopped altogether. Rain and that goth kid… cozied up under an umbrella together… I clenched my fists and my teeth bitterly as the schoolboy giddiness within me turned into fiery hot rage, turning my back on the scene. Stupid me, putting my trust into someone again. Falling for someone again. Finally letting go of my all-too-true cherophobia for long enough to let it all come crashing down around me, all over again. Stupid, stupid me, for thinking she could ever fall for a pathetic waste of air like me.

My shoes squelched hard against the wet pavement until finally I slammed open the door to the Saloon, water droplets from my clothes soaking into the carpet. I gave Gus ‘the look’ and he poured me beer after beer. My head grew cloudy and my thoughts grew resentful. Must’ve been real funny for her, I thought, to pretend to care about a guy like me. Well, fine. If she wants to run off with some emo brat and laugh at me behind my back, then she can see if I even care. I took a huge swig of my drink and slammed the glass on the counter, my mind delving into the familiar groggy haze I’d come to know so well over the years. Screw falling in love. I’d rather drink myself into oblivion instead.


	10. The Storm Breaks

** Mira’s P.O.V. **

The storm had rapidly become more intense, the waves more turbulent. What was a floating curtain of deep blue just moments before was now a shuddering black void-like expanse. It was hard to tell in the darkness of the overcast sky but it looked like the tide was coming in. “You should get going,” Sebastian’s deep voice broke my ocean watching trance. “the beach could flood pretty soon.”

“You’re right.” I smiled, rubbing my arms from the night time chill in the air. Despite what he’d just said, Sebastian showed no intention of moving. “…Aren’t you coming, too?”

“Nah,” he put down the umbrella, the whispering of the rain engulfing his words as a tranquil light shone in his eyes. “I’ll stay here for just a little longer.”

“A-are you sure? The tide’s coming in pretty quick now…”

“I’m sure.” He flashed me an untroubled smile.

“Alright… Be safe, okay?” I turned around when I reached the sand and waved. “Bye, Sebastian! See you soon!”

I tirelessly sprinted up the beach toward town, the shifting clumps of wet sand beneath my feet slowing me in my tracks and tripping me every so often. I probably looked ridiculous, but I could only hope that Sebastian was still staring out at the sea and not at me doing my best penguin impression. I was soaked to the bone and freezing cold, more water droplets making my clothes cling to me even tighter every second. I stumbled as my shoes scuffed against the solid pavement when I finally reached Pelican Town, the light of the Saloon cutting through the oppressive sheets of rain water, a beacon of warmth amidst the storm. I was panting from my run up the beach but I pressed onwards in an exhausted jog toward the Saloon. I slammed through the door out of the storm, water flying off of my brow as I did. Heat instantly clung to my cold face. I breathed a sigh of relief as I stepped inside, making my way over to the corner of the bar. Shane was, of course, sat there as he always was. His eyes were listlessly fixed onto his drink.

“Hi, Shane!” I sat down on the bar stool next to him. He said nothing. He didn’t even move.

“…Shane?” Are you—“ the strong stench of beer invaded my nose. That wasn’t his first drink… Nor his second or third, or even anywhere close. My heart dropped. _Oh no… What happened, Shane…?_

“Did… Did something happen at work?”

Silence. His eyes burned as he stared at the bubbles in his beer. I gently reached my hand toward his shoulder. “Shane, talk to me—“

“Don’t…” he slapped my hand away sharply. My tear ducts started to sting.

“But… why?”

“Don’t… Don’t talk to me…” he clenched his fists, “get the hell away from me.”

“But—“

“Just leave me the fuck alone!” The beer glass shattered on the floor as his glare stabbed into me like daggers. “You’re a liar… You acted like you cared but it was all a lie! Then you come in here with that stupid fake smile on your face… What the fuck is your problem?!”

The Saloon fell silent. Not a single thought crossed my mind. Time stood still as I stood shaken in bewilderment, unable to avert my gaze from his rage-filled face. Even the jukebox ceased to play, or maybe I was just too stricken to hear it; too dumbfounded to process anything in this ineffable turn of events.

For the longest time – or so it felt – we stayed like that. Until finally, his face softened into emptiness and he averted his eyes. “…Go home, Mirabelle.”

_Mirabelle…?_

Why did it hurt so much to hear my own name…?

I couldn’t stand it any longer. I tried to speak but nothing came out but a pathetic whimper. Shane melted into a blur of brown and blue as streams of tears spilled over my eyelids.

_What did I do wrong…?_

I covered my face and turned away. I ran. I ran toward the door, pushing it open with all my might and running out into the rain once again.

 _Rain… Huh…_ My heart broke a little as that word flashed through my mind. I could only hear it in his voice anymore. Tears and rain streamed down my face, indistinguishable from each other. Nothing made sense anymore.

Finally, and with shallow breath, I stumbled into my farmhouse before throwing myself face-first onto my bed, screaming as I cried. My voice echoed through my wooden house – a reminder that I was alone. I couldn’t understand. How could I just be tossed aside for no reason…? What reason was there to trust anymore?

It took a while but I’d started to calm down. My breathing slowed, as did my heart beat. I lay still for a while, emptily revisiting that night’s events. Searching for what I could have done wrong. Finally, I sat up, reached for the thing closest to me and wiped my eyes. With my clear vision I glanced down at the soft object in my hands. A white t-shirt with a cartoon chicken on it… Shane’s t-shirt. Shane. The bar. _Mirabelle._ The flood of tears broke again as I buried my face into my pillow.

_I just don’t understand._


	11. Hearts Don't Breakeven

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **STREAM ANNOUNCEMENT!**  
>  I will hopefully be streaming Stardew Valley in a few hours! I say "hopefully" because it depends what time the 1.1 update actually comes out. If you're interested, search for Nyannygiri on Twitch :3 I'll be uploading the streams to YouTube as episodes so don't worry about missing a stream. My YouTube is linked on my Twitch channel. ^^

I sat on my bed in silence, duvet wrapped around me, a hot mug of cocoa in my hands. The woman sat on the floor in front of me with crossed legs raised an identical mug to her lips, a worried furrow spreading across her brow under a head of auburn hair.

After I got home I buried myself under pillows and duvets. I laid like that for a while – a few hours, maybe, in a continuous cycle of calming myself down only to replay that evening’s events in my head and start crying again. My eyes were sore and puffed up, and my throat ached. I was pathetic. After a while, there was a soft knock on the door.

“Mira?” a familiar voice was on the other side of my front door. “Can I come in?” I gazed listlessly at the door for a while before shuffling myself and my duvet nest over to the door like a slug. One hand left the safety of my duvet cove and meekly turned the lock on the door. I was met with a sympathetic smile, and wordlessly invited my visitor inside.

 

“Ah, so that’s what happened…” Leah sighed, sipping at her mug of cocoa. “And you don’t know why he acted like that at all?”

I shook my head in response. Leah had seen the whole situation in the Saloon happen. Everyone in there did. The worst part about living in such a small community… Before long, everyone knows about everyone else’s business. I buried my face in my knees at the thought. Leah shuffled closer to me and patted my shoulder. “I’m sorry, Mira.” She let out a long sigh. “I guess this is why people just don’t bother with him.”

“But… We were so close before…” I whimpered.

“Sometimes it just takes a while for people to show their true colours, I suppose.”

Leah stayed with me like that for a while. Inevitably, though, it started to get really late. We were both yawning, though I didn’t want to admit I was tired. I didn’t want to be left on my own. For the first time since I moved to Pelican Town, I really couldn’t bear the thought of being all alone in my house. For the first time I actually missed my family, even if they didn’t miss me. I started to wonder if I was wrong all along about wanting a fresh start, whether I was really cut out to follow in Grandpa’s footsteps. “Hey,” Leah shattered my descent into dark thoughts by breaking the silence, “why don’t you come stay at my place tonight? A change of scenery might be good for you.”

“A-are you sure?”

“Of course,” she smiled almost motherly, “I’d hate to just leave you to brood.”

“Okay…” I unfurled my duvet from around myself and stepped out of it, the blankets still messily standing in a cone shape on my bed. We left the farmhouse and stepped into the darkness of the night. There were no street lights around my farm or in the forest, so we had to find our way in the dark. My fields weren’t amazingly clear, so it was a bit like an obstacle course of rocks and branches. We reached the clearing before long, though, and the light from Marnie’s house guided us onto the foot-beaten path of the forest. _Marnie’s house… Huh…_ I stopped where I stood, staring longingly yet sadly at the front door I’d passed through so many times. Maybe I’d never get that chance again. My stomach dropped along with my head and my tear ducts started to sting again.

“What is it?” Leah noticed I’d stopped walking and turned around. She followed my gaze to Marnie’s house. “Ah…”

“Marnie taught me all sorts of things…” I said quietly. “She was teaching me to dance… She also said she could sell me some animals when I’m ready and also mentor me on how to care for them… But now…”

“Mira…” Leah put a reassuring hand on my shoulder. “You can still do all of those things. That jerk’s behaviour doesn’t change a thing.”

“I… can?”

“Of course,” she smiled, “you shouldn’t let people’s opinions of you stop you doing what you love.” She looked toward the forest thoughtfully. “As long as you’re not hurting anyone… It’s none of their business.”

“Y-yeah…” Maybe she was right, I thought, though I was too tired to really think about it. I let out a yawn as we approached Leah’s cabin. She unlocked the rustic, old-style wooden door and creaked it open. It was a little too big for the doorframe so it didn’t close on its own. The interior of Leah’s house was pitch dark – I couldn’t see a thing. “I try to rely on natural light as much as possible, so it can get pretty dark at night,” she smirked, almost apologetically. “My bed’s just there on the left. You can take it tonight – I’ll go find my sleeping bag.”

“Okay… Thanks, Leah…” I mumbled quietly as I traced my hand across the leftmost wall, not a speck of light present in the room. My shin hit something hard and wooden – I placed my hand down and it met with a soft surface. Leah’s bed. I crawled in from the bottom and slammed my head against the pillow in one shot of momentum. I was about to pull the covers over me but before I knew it, sleep had whisked me away.

…

The early morning sun peeped through the window and straight into my line of sight. I squinted my eyes open, only to panic when met with unfamiliar surroundings. Paintings of snow-capped mountains and green forests populated the walls atop a sophisticated blue wallpaper, presumably painted upon the easel that was directly to my left. A rustic bookshelf stood tall next to a traditional stone fireplace, piles of oak logs sitting aside it. I pushed myself up into a sitting position and at the end of the bed I was laying on was an obscure wooden sculpture, curling around in a spiral on a square base. _A sculpture… That’s right… I stayed at Leah’s house._ I rubbed my eyes and slipped out of the bed until my toes met the hardwood floor boards. I walked around the corner and saw Leah sitting at a low coffee table. “Good morning,” she smiled, noticing me on the approach. “Want some coffee?”

“It’s a little bitter for me…” I rubbed the back of my head awkwardly.

“Ah, no problem! I think I have some juice somewhere…” Leah rose to her feet and started to peruse through her fridge before pulling out a large plastic bottle of orange juice. I was starting to feel a bit like a kid again. Leah returned moments later, holding a tall glass of orange juice out to me. “So? Any plans for the day?”

“Not really…” I took the glass from her, “I just have to water my crops and then… Just stay in, I guess.”

“Huh. Well why don’t you come out with me today? I’m meeting Haley and all of those guys in a little while.”

“Gee, I… I don’t know…” Spending time around a bunch of people wasn’t really what I felt up to just then. _Jeez… I’m starting to sound more and more like him, aren’t I…_

“Aw, it’s okay! Some fresh air and social interaction might do you some good!” Leah grinned sunnily. I really didn’t want to go out, but maybe she was right. What else would I be doing other than sitting alone in my house feeling sorry for myself?

“Well… Okay, then.”

“Great! Just let me get my shoes on.”

Before I knew it, I’d been whisked out of Leah’s house and into town. It was a pretty quiet morning, until we headed up the stone steps to the fountain where Haley’s blonde hair bobbed up and down in excitement as she spotted us. “Leah, hey girl! Mira, it’s been, like, forever! I totally heard about last night--”

“Not today,” Leah hissed protectively, shaking her head. Haley clamped her mouth shut pensively before returning to her excitable girly demeanour. She clapped her hands excitedly before flicking her hair. Stood just behind her were Alex, Maru and Sam.

“Hey guys,” Leah waved. “So, where are we headed?”

“Well, Penny and Elliott said we could meet them at the library,” Maru said, pushing her glasses up her nose in a scholarly fashion, “but maybe I should stop in at home and see if Sebastian wants to join us?”

“I doubt he’ll want to. He never has before.” Leah pointed out.

“Well, he might, since we have a certain someone with us…” Sam mused knowingly, and attention turned to me. My cheeks flushed. “Wh-wh-what do you mean by that?!”

“Oh, nothing, nothing.” Sam waved his hand at me nonchalantly but still kept that smug look on his face. I suddenly felt sheepish. Nonetheless, we decided to head up to Robin’s house. Maru took the lead once we arrived, leading us all into the lobby where Robin stood behind her desk and greeted us all.

“Sebastian? Want to come out with us?” Maru shouted from the top of the stairs leading to Sebastian’s room.

“No thanks.” The predicted reply quietly returned, along with the sound of the tapping of a keyboard.

“Aww, c’mon, Seb!” Sam piped up, stepping forward next to Maru. “Just come out with us this once. Even Mira’s here!”

Seconds later, Sebastian’s bedroom door creaked open and he calmly made his way up the stairs, his hands in the pockets of his black hoodie. “That was quick,” Leah teased, nudging me. I pretended not to hear her. Sebastian didn’t really look at anyone or anything. His expression almost made him look like a feral child who had just left his basement for the first time.

We all started to head down the mountain again. Haley led the charge, whilst Sebastian and I lagged at the back. “How’d you end up getting roped into this?” Sebastian mumbled without changing his stone cold expression.

“Oh, I…” I didn’t really want to get into the fine details of the night before. He’d probably already heard so it’d hang like an elephant in the room but, I just didn’t want to talk about it at all. “I stayed with Leah. She recommended a change of pace today, so…”

“Ah,” he flicked his fringe out of his eyes slightly, “I guess a change of pace isn’t so bad now and then.”

“Yeah…” I smiled quietly, watching everyone in front of us laughing and having a good time. “I suppose not.”

 **Shane’s P.O.V.**  
A bland white ceiling stretched out in front of me, my arms folded behind my head on my pillow. I didn’t go to the Saloon that day. In fact, I’d darted between home and work, and back again, in the hopes that no one would see me. It wasn’t my usual disdain for people though. No… I was ashamed. Of course, when I got home from work that day, Marnie stood stock still behind her counter, wordlessly staring daggers at me. She’d seen the whole thing the night before… Everyone probably knew by then… So I cowardly took shelter in my room with the lights off. I’d been laying there for hours, just staring blankly. Occasionally my mind would flick back to what I said. The look on her face. The silence in the bar. Guilt spread through my stomach and chest like wildfire. Poor Rain. She must’ve been so hurt. Maybe she still was. Finally, I sat up. _I need to go apologise…_  
I approached my bedroom door and slowly began to open it when, suddenly, the front door flung open. _A customer at this time?_ I groaned to myself, closing my door all but a slither of light. Light footsteps approached the counter, and my eyes widened as a veil of chestnut hair came into view. I froze. I couldn’t open the door. I couldn’t bring myself to leave the room. This scene was all too familiar, but this time, instead of wanting to avoid her, I was too afraid to confront her. _W-why is she here? Did she come to see me?_

“Good evening, Marnie~!”

“Ah, Mira! You’re looking chipper.”

“I’m feeling it, too!” she beamed, giggling. _She’s… Happy? ___“Sorry I’ve not been around much since the storm, but if it’s okay with you, could we start my dancing lessons again soon?”

_“Of course, dear,” Marnie smiled, “Whenever you’re ready.”_

_“And if it’s not too late, I was wondering if you had any chicks for sale?”_

_“Oh, of course! Has Robin finished your coop already?”_

_“Yep. You should’ve seen her go!” they shared a laugh. I stood in silence, just watching. They both left my field of vision as they walked through the kitchen’s side door into the chicken coop. Before long they re-emerged, a fluffy yellow ball sitting patiently in Rain’s cupped hands. “Do you have a name in mind?” Marnie asked._

_“I think… I’ll name her Lyra.” She spoke softly as she stared dotingly into her hands. Marnie smiled, her face softening. “What a lovely name.”_

_Before long, Rain left without so much as a second thought for me. I slowly closed my door again, laying back down on my bed. Maybe she was putting on a brave face… Or maybe, I thought, she’s better off this way. Without me._


	12. Together, Alone

** Mira's P.O.V. **

The blazing heat and sunshine were still going strong when the day of the Luau arrived. The morning sun pleasantly warmed my back as I watered my plants and weeded the area around my pond. Admittedly, it was nice to take shelter in the cool shade of the chicken coop, and Lyra was already starting to produce her first eggs. "Good girl," I patted her fluffy head with a smile and she clucked happily.

I'd been hanging out with the other villagers around my age since my day out with Leah. I was having so much fun that I'd all but forgotten about the situation with Shane. I hadn't seen him around, either, but I didn't suppose it had anything to do with me – he didn't want to be my friend anymore, and I'd managed to fit in to the village, so I didn't really pay it much thought anymore. On one of the more recent days out with my friends, Haley suggested that we should all go to the upcoming Luau together at the beach. "That sounds like a great idea!" I'd told her. I didn't really know what the Luau entailed, but I wouldn't miss a fun day on the beach with my friends for the world. The weather certainly didn't disappoint, and I'd harvested a fresh cob of corn that morning. I was ready to head down to the beach.

"Heeeeey! Mira!" Leah waved from the beach's entrance when she caught sight of me. I ran over to the group and we walked down together. Leah and Penny were to my left with Maru and Elliot to the right of me, off in their own little world. I was almost envious. As we made our way onto the beach I could see Haley and Alex on the tiki-style dance floor, dancing together… Well, trying to. "Ugh! Alex! You, like, stepped on my foot again!"

"Sorry, babe."

"How am I supposed to be crowned Dancing Queen if you can't even get it right?!"

"It's fine babe, I've totally got it covered," I could see the sweat pouring down Alex's apologetic face, and giggled to myself. Some things never change. Sebastian and Sam were talking down by the leftmost pier, and as they caught sight of me Sebastian offered a small wave. I waved back with a smile, but as we approached the centre of the beach, my eyes fixed on something. Something scruffy. Something clad in blue. Something stuffing its face with pepper poppers at the buffet table. I felt a little uneasy all of a sudden and my footsteps slowed. I wanted to turn back… I wanted to leave. _No… I'm not hurting anyone. This is fine._ I clenched my fist and continued to walk with my friends. Suddenly, though, Shane's head raised as he saw group movement from the corner of his eye. His eyes met mine; his face dropped. Before I knew it, he'd turned around and briskly walked to the other side of the beach, just in sight next to Willy's shack. He didn't turn back after that… He just stood there. _So… He really is avoiding me…_ My heart sank. I told myself I didn't care anymore but in truth, how could I not care? We were so close and then out of nowhere…

"Mira!" Once again, Leah snapped me out of my brood. "We're going to add our ingredients to the soup. You coming?"

"Oh! Y-yeah!" I took the head of corn out of my backpack, its crisp leaves unfurling to reveal the golden gem-like pieces of corn that lay beneath. We walked towards the pot and one by one gave our ingredients to Mayor Lewis, then waited for him to add the finishing touches. I was wishing he'd hurry up – I suddenly felt… angsty. I felt like eyes were on me – and sure enough, they were. I glanced to my left and Shane quickly averted his gaze from me. Feeling self-conscious, I slinked behind my friends to hide from sight. _Please hurry this up, Lewis…_

"Alright, the soup is ready, everyone!" Lewis cheered, "grab a bowl from Marnie and let's chow down!"

"Well finally!" Sam called across the beach overexcitedly, clearly hungry. "C'mon, Seb, let's go!"

"Yeah, yeah…"

After we each grabbed a bowl of soup, we headed to stand near the dance floor as a group. Sam guzzled all of his soup down in one, of course. "Damn, that was good! Can I get seconds?"

"Ew, this is like, totally disgusting…" Haley glared down into her bowl with disdain. Sebastian and I were the last to try the soup. We each slowly raised the bowls to our lips, taking a sip. We gave each other a knowing look – the soup was definitely… _Interesting._ Chunks of melon and anchovy swam about in a thick brown goop. I wasn't entirely sure how anyone could stomach a whole bowl.

"Maybe the Mayor should hand out ingredient lists next time…" I laughed awkwardly.

"Not a bad idea." Sebastian chuckled quietly.

The afternoon sky swirled in blue and pink, and everyone had settled into a quiet chatter. I found myself glancing down the beach again – Shane was still stood alone. Did he even eat? Did my presence really put him off…? _Argh, I can't stand it anymore._ I put my bowl down on the golden sand and started to head over to Shane when a thin arm got in my way. "Mira. No." Leah said shortly.

"But, Leah… I'm tired of this. I just want to—"

"Don't you remember how he treated you?" Leah cut me off mid-sentence. I had nothing to say – I couldn't justify how he spoke to me. I didn't even know why… But I couldn't carry on like this. I was bound to run into him eventually, and I knew he wasn't a bad person. I looked over at my friends – their cold gazes were all on me. My stomach dropped.

"That guy's a total creep, Mira," Haley flicked her hair with her perfect manicure, pursing her pink lips in disgust. "He obviously had some motive for talking to you and when he didn't get it he, like, kicked you to the curb, girl."

"She's right, Mira…" Sam chimed in, more sombre than usual. "Shane's not a nice guy. Trust me. I work with him."

_But you don't know him like I do…_

"He uses alcohol as an excuse to treat people poorly," Maru said sternly, waving a finger. "I can't approve of that at all, especially not against you, Mira."

_But…_

I felt ganged up on. I withdrew myself and wrapped my arms around me, glancing at Sebastian longingly, hoping for some sort of support. Sebastian averted his gaze from mine before taking a last puff on his cigarette and stomping it out on the sand. "Dude's never not drinking." His quiet voice said. "Clearly something not right about him." _Seb… Even you…?_ I stood in silence. What could I say? My eyes shifted uneasily from face to face. It was like they were set in stone – no one let up on their stern expressions. "Besides, Mira…" Leah moved forward and placed her hand on my shoulder. But it wasn't like before, when she was comforting me. It was somehow… More authoritative. "I thought you liked hanging out with _us._ "

_Ah… So that's how it is…_ I had to stop myself from scoffing. It was like a shot in the heart. I'd apparently landed myself where the grass is supposedly greener by falling out with Shane and I'd never even noticed. It all felt so cliquey, like school – us and them. I didn't like it at all. But I felt powerless to do or say anything to oppose it. "…You're right." And maybe they were. Shane hurt me, all right. I didn't really know how to feel either way at that point. I just felt… Pressured. And isolated. Almost like I was lying to myself.

"Good," Leah sighed, brushing the topic aside. "shall we go, then?"

We turned our backs on the beach and made our way back into town. Together, yet so very alone.


	13. Square One

** Shane's P.O.V. **

I fumbled my way through the darkness of the forest before finally reaching the southern entrance of the farm. Staring out at the pitch-black farmland I swallowed hard at the thought of getting caught, keeping my footsteps light. I stood there for a moment, my breathing in time with the sound of the summertime crickets chirping. Their presence made me feel watched. _I really shouldn't be sneaking around like this…_ I knew that. But I had to. I couldn't stand it anymore. Putting my feelings of unease to one side, I squinted through the darkness until my eyes picked up on a small light slicing quietly through the night. Rain's house. I cautiously tiptoed onwards.

 

That crazy scheme is something that came to me suddenly. I wasn't exactly planning to do it – I figured if I pondered on it for too long then I'd chicken out. After my cowardice at the Luau, I felt pretty pathetic. Once again, I only even went to the stupid event for the free food. That, and because aunt Marnie wanted me to – she wasn't happy with me at all after the situation at the Saloon so I wasn't really in any position to refuse. I didn't really think that Rain would show up. No, more than that – I just didn't think. Of course she'd be there, and there I was, stuffing my face like the animal I am. So of course, when I looked up and saw her looking my way, what did I do? Man up and apologise? Play it cool and ignore her? Oh no. I decided to panic and run away like a child. Congrats, Shane, you're even more pathetic than ever before. That could've been my chance to make up for things, but I blew it.

 

After that, there was no use in waiting for another chance – it just wasn't coming. It had been over a week since the Luau. She didn't turn up at the Saloon at all during that time, and I never saw her on my way to work. Of course, she still visited aunt Marnie for dancing lessons at the house, but I just hid away in my room. She never asked after me, either. I started to get the impression that she really wanted nothing more to do with me… Not that I could blame her. But, I'd finally had enough. I was wracked with guilt. I felt like a total idiot. So, while I was at work that day, I decided I had to do something. I wanted to visit her. I wanted to apologise… But, of course, I knew I'd mess it up somehow. I've never really had a way with words. So in the end, I decided I'd write her a letter instead. Luckily, I'd been assigned a couple hours of paperwork in the backroom of Joja that day, so I could covertly write it all out. "Dear"… I was already stuck. Do I use her full name? Or do I just call her Rain? Would 'Mirabelle' be too rigid? But at the same time, wouldn't 'Rain' be too casual given the situation? _Ugh…_ I decided to opt for a simple 'Hey'. It might not have been approved letter format, but if it was in her mailbox she'd know who it was for anyway. "I thought it'd be fun to send you a letter." _Fun? Are you stupid?_ I wasn't about to cross it out, though. And, I guess I didn't want to write my apology out. I kinda wanted to entice her into coming to talk to me so I could finally man up and apologise in person. But in that case, I didn't really know what to write about. "I don't really know what to write though." _That's… Way too honest, isn't it?_ I guess my nerves were probably showing through in my writing… Though maybe that wasn't so bad. I didn't want to seem like I didn't care. _Maybe I should give her a gift…?_ But what? I didn't have the money for something pricey. Food? Food's always a good option, right? Not that I could cook. Besides, Marnie would get suspicious if she saw me using the kitchen. She'd probably be happy that I'm trying to apologise but it'd be way too embarrassing to get her involved. Yeah… I wanted this to be between me and Rain. No more outside factors. That's what started this mess in the first place. My stupid jealousy. I didn't own Rain. I had no right to think I could tell her who to talk to and who not to, or even… Who to date, as much as it pained me. Maybe that was a misunderstanding too, though, but either way, it was none of my business.

I glanced over at the open store room to my left. The new shipment of pepper poppers had just come in – little plastic bags full of the spicy treats. Freeze dried and non-perishable – they were perfect for sending in a letter. I looked around sneakily before casually waltzing over to the store room, craftily removing a bag of pepper poppers and quickly putting them into the envelope in front of me. What? Don't judge me. Morris has stolen enough of my will to live – he can forego a packet of pepper poppers. I picked up the pen again, smirking to myself. "Here, I've enclosed a treat for you. Don't tell anyone, but I snagged this from the back room of Joja Mart." Well, it's probably best to be honest. Anyway, it's the thought that counts, right? "Okay, see you soon. Shane." I sealed the envelope and slipped it into my pocket before finally getting back to work. If I didn't have those papers sorted out by lunch, Morris would probably have my head.

 

So, that's how I wound up sneaking around Rain's farm that night. I'd waited until Jas was asleep and Marnie had gone out to the Saloon for the night, and made my way out of the forest cloaked in the cover of dusk. Finally, I'd made it onto the farmland, quietly edging toward the light of Rain's house. That light probably meant she was in there, and awake – I'd have to be careful. I didn't want to be spotted. I just had to make it to the mailbox on the right side of her house and make my way back into the forest, and I'd be home free. As I made my way over, I kept tripping up. Several twigs, weeds, rocks, and hard bumps in the ground were between me and the house, which wouldn't be so bad if it weren't so dark. _Jeez, doesn't she use this side of the farm at all?_ Regardless, I struggled my way over to the house, bumping into trees and struggling to stay quiet every time I stubbed my toe on the rough ground. When I'd finally made it, I ducked under the window until I'd reached the mailbox. I slowly removed the letter from my pocket, my hands shaking in the darkness. I knew there was every chance she still wouldn't want to talk to me after this. She'd been avoiding me thus far so maybe this wouldn't change a thing. Maybe she'd even find it creepy. But… It didn't matter. I'd made it this far, and if I didn't follow through with my plan, nothing would happen. We'd be at a standstill and while maybe that'd be fine for Rain, it was killing me. Something had to happen as a result of this letter – whether we made up or she told me to get lost for good, _anything_ would be better than this limbo. I clenched my right fist as my left slid the letter into her mailbox – but it got stuck. I pushed as hard as I could without damaging the letter, but it just wasn't happening. The pepper poppers had created a fat bubble at one end of the envelope, so it wouldn't go in any further. _Damn it._ Well, it was in there pretty securely, so it was good enough, I decided. I started to tiptoe away from the house, feeling prideful at how smoothly my plan unfolded, when suddenly I lost my footing as my toe got caught on another rock. I started to fall. "Agh-!"

 

** Mira's P.O.V. **

I pulled on my pyjama top and straightened out the duvet on my bed. It had been a long day – many of my crops were ready for harvest so I spent most of the afternoon carrying them over to the shipment box. I was finally getting used to the heavy labour, but that didn't change the fact that I've never been very muscular. Even being a bit taller might help… I let out a yawn.

I'd been hanging out with Leah and everyone a lot lately – it became part of my daily routine. Even Sebastian was finally making an effort to come outside regularly. It wasn't at all like school – I finally had friends. People liked me. They wanted me around. Anyone would be happy with that, right? _Right…?_ My smile dropped as I thought about it. There was no denying it… Something was missing. Something about it all just felt… Empty. False. As if I'd paid a great price to get there. _Maybe I'm just tired…_ I sighed, heading over to the light switch. As my finger brushed across it, I heard a loud splash from right outside. My head instinctively snapped towards the front door. _That sounded like… The pond?_ I quickly unlocked the front door, scared that maybe Lyra had somehow escaped from her coop and ended up falling into the pond outside of my house. I flung open the door and my eyes widened. The light from the house illuminated the pond in an arc. It wasn't Lyra. Soaked to the bone and sitting awkwardly after a fall, the brunette man stared at me with fright like a deer caught in headlights. "Sh-Shane?"

 

I didn't really know what was going on, but I ended up inviting him inside for a towel. Reluctantly he accepted. He sat silently on the chair beside my bed as I went to find a towel. My hands trembled, meekly lifting a white towel from my wardrobe. Shane was in my house. _Shane_ was sat right behind me, in the dead of night. Why was he here? What would he say? What would _I_ say? The silence hung in the sticky summer night air. I tried to quiet my rapid breathing, swirling blood in my ears all I could hear. Did he want to apologise? Or… Was he not done yelling at me? Wait… Was he sneaking around my farm? Thoughts buzzed around my head, melting my mind into an inaudible puddle. _Calm down._ I clenched my fist around the towel through the shaking. Whatever his reason for being on my farm, I'd find out before long. I just had to retain composure until then. Forcing my expression into calmness, I turned around – and time stood still. My eyes widened. The trembling stopped, sure, but not for the intended reasons. Shane's soaking wet work jacket lay slumped on the floor beside him as he was halfway through taking off his damp shirt. He froze in that position, the expression of stupor on his face mirroring mine, the dewy skin on his chest glistening under the artificial light of my house. His deep hazel eyes were locked onto mine, widened just as mine were. I opened my mouth to speak, but nothing came out. The trembling came back – finally averting my eyes, I quickly flicked my arm out to him, offering him the towel. I felt it slip out of my hand silently. He hadn't changed a bit… Still dorky and charming all at the same time. A pink flush rose to my cheeks at the thought, and I squeezed my eyes shut. I must really be an idiot, I thought, to think something like that after everything that's happened. For a heavy drinker, though, his body didn't look bad for it. _Stop, stop, stop! No more of these thoughts!_ I pinched myself. I glanced back over to Shane, who was rubbing the towel through his hair. He wasn't looking at me anymore. I let out the breath that I'd been holding in my chest before lightly stepping over to my bed and sitting down, staring at the floor. I didn't know where to look. I didn't know what to say. As the towel brushed over his hair, a light spray of rainwater showered me. "…Thanks." He spoke at last.

"I-It's okay." I turned my head to face him. He was blankly staring forwards, my towel around his shoulders. "So… Um… Why exactly were you in my pond?"

"I fell in." _Thanks, captain obvious._ I didn't think he'd just decided to take a swim.

"Yeah, but… Why were you there in the first place?"

"U-uh…" he scratched the back of his head awkwardly. "I came to… deliver… something." His eyes flitted to my window. The top of my red mailbox peeped just into view. _Mail…?_ I creaked open my front door again. Shane nervously murmured incoherent words behind me. Did he not want me to look? I stepped out into the darkness, watching my footing for rogue twigs and rocks. I didn't want to end up taking a swim too. Looking at my mailbox, there was something bulging and misshapen sticking out of it. "What the…?" As I attempted to pull it out I put on hand on the top of my mailbox – the night time air had made its metal shell cold to the touch. I gave it a huge yank and the object came flying out – I nearly fell over backwards. In my hands was a white paper envelope, bloated at one end, which I assumed is what caused it to get stuck. "A letter…?" I muttered to myself, heading back into the soft light of the doorway.

"Is this what you came to give me?" I asked Shane, whose cheeks were now a little pink as he seemingly refused to hold eye contact with me. He was still shirtless, and it caught me off guard again. He seemed so innocent and vulnerable, I almost didn't recognise him as the same person who shouted at me in the bar. My cheeks felt hot as I tore the seal to the envelope. The ripping sound broke through the silence that hung between us awkwardly. At last the envelope was open and the small white sheet of paper folded in half inside revealed itself. I slid it out carefully, and with it came a small plastic packet full of pepper poppers. _Um…?_ I tilted my head to one side before setting the packet down on my bed, and sitting down beside them, unfolding the letter. I thought I heard Shane hold his breath, though it was probably just my imagination. I appraised the letter carefully.

'Hey,

I thought it would be fun to send you a letter. I don't really know what to write, though.

Here, I've enclosed a treat for you. Don't tell anyone, but I snagged this from the back room of Joja Mart.

Okay, see you soon. Shane.'

I finished reading, but my eyes didn't move from the letter. I was dumbfounded. The words went in, sure, but it felt so… Surreal. To write me such a casual letter after everything that happened – I couldn't tell what he was thinking at all. I looked up at Shane. He was looking down at the floor, flush-faced. My brow furrowed. Even if he did manage to leave unseen and I'd found the letter by myself, what then? Was I supposed to skip over to him as if nothing had happened? I lay the letter down beside me and rubbed my temples. I just didn't understand. I picked up the pepper poppers with my free hand and looked down at them. Was it a peace offering or what? And if it was, how was I supposed to know that? I was so confused.

"Uh…" Shane's quiet voice startled me, "I-if you don't like pepper poppers… I can go back and get a pizza…"

"Huh? No, it's fine…" I giggled at the simple thought. Shane let out a small sigh of relief, clearly misinterpreting my confusion. No… He really hadn't changed at all. I smiled covertly.

"You know…" Shane sighed hesitantly, "I've… been wanting to talk to you. About those things I said. But I kinda felt like I couldn't."

"Yeah… Me too." It was true. I let my friends pressure me into staying away from him – I really realised that just then, that I'd done something so pathetic. Shane had probably been beating himself up that whole time and I did nothing to help. Besides… The whole situation was probably my fault, anyway. I tried to force a smile. "To be honest, I'm still not sure what I did… But… I'm sorry."

"No, don't apologise." Shane gave me an intense look. "It was my fault. I just… I'm so used to not having anyone there and, I…" he sighed.

"Yeah." I understood how he felt exactly – I was the same. I'd somehow managed ever since moving to Pelican Town, but maybe I was just lucky… And maybe things had just moved way too fast between me and Shane. I'd only lived in Pelican Town for just over a season and we'd already been seeing each other every single day without fail, on schedule. He'd even told me some really personal stuff. I don't know… Maybe it all just felt a little premature. And that sort of escalating friendship just doesn't work for introverts like Shane. Maybe it all just got a bit too much. "Hey… Shane."

"…Yeah?"

"Why don't we just start over?"

"…What do you mean?"

"Hmm…" I tilted my head thoughtfully. "Well… Like I only just moved here! Like we only just became friends, maybe?"

"I… guess…" Shane frowned. "But that's not going to make what I said to you any better. It won't change the fact that it happened."

"Well, why not?" I put my hands on my hips. "Why should we be controlled by what happened? We're free to choose where we go from here! They're our lives!"

"Tch," Shane chuckled, "you always did have a rosy outlook on things."

"Hey…" I grumbled. I could feel my cheeks puffing out, but Shane just smiled.

"…Maybe you're right, though. Starting over might be for the best."

"Yeah!" I felt all the tension drain away from me. I was so happy to have made up with Shane. "Does this mean we get to introduce ourselves all over again?"

"Wh-what?" Shane stuttered awkwardly.

"Come on, it'll be fun!" I laughed. Shane went quiet. He looked down at the floor and fidgeted his hands around in his pocket uncomfortably. My smile dropped as I watched him. _Did I mess up again? Was I too full on?_ Silence hung in the air until finally, slowly, Shane's hand, open-palmed, extended out to me. His eyes were still on the floor, his cheeks red. "…Shane. N-nice to meet you."

"Ah," I smiled wide, "Yeah! I'm… I'm Mirabelle! But most people call Mira!" I took his hand, which was still a little damp. "Or… Well… You could always just call me Rain. If you want to, that is."

"Yeah." He smiled softly. "I'll do that." Shane let go of my hand and stood up, collecting his clothes and returning my towel. "I'd better go… It's getting late."

"Oh, yeah. I kind of forgot," I giggled awkwardly.

"Heh." Shane turned the handle to my front door and stepped outside. "Well, see you around. Come by the Saloon some time."

"Okay!" I waved Shane off, switched off the lights and got into bed, still smiling to myself. Everything felt like it was coming together again – it'd probably take some time, but I felt like mine and Shane's friendship could end up being better than it ever was before. We could finally hang out again, just like we used to.

 

And we did. Most nights after the farming day was done I'd head into town and spend a couple of hours at the Saloon. I felt like I belonged in Pelican Town again. But before long, I realised that things just weren't as easy as planning to start over – there were always outside factors. One rainy summer night I headed up to the Saloon. Shane was of course already sat in his corner of the bar, nursing a beer. His face was glum – his eyes almost lifeless. He'd clearly had a rough day at work. I sat down beside him and we sat in comfortable silence, the odd exchange of words now and then. But then I noticed a head of bright amber hair across the bar from the corner of my eye; I looked across, and there was Leah, staring coldly at me. She held my gaze for a few seconds before looking away, shaking her head. My stomach dropped.

"Hey, Rain…" Shane mumbled coarsely, "do you ever feel like the world is scrutinising you like you're some sort of disgusting insect?"

His question hit me hard. Could I really not maintain my other friendships if I associated with Shane? Was I really not enough for them to see past that and accept me for who I am? I rested one elbow on the bar, my chin on my palm. "Yes, Shane... I do."


	14. Neon Summer

The summer flew by like a fleeting breeze. Once the crops had started to reach their final harvest stage, they very rapidly grew back being nurtured by the light of the sun. Happy Mr. Sun did a good job at evaporating all of their water, too, so keeping my crops nice and hydrated was a round-the-clock job. It was exhausting being a farmer, there was no denying that – but honestly, seeing your crops grow to fruition after weeks upon weeks of hard labour, knowing that the townspeople will be buying and enjoying them – no feeling in the world compares to that. I wiped the sweat off my brow after having finished giving my crops their evening round of watering, and headed into the chicken coop. Lyra had grown a lot since the start of summer, her fluffy yellow chick feathers now faded into a lovely white down blanket. As soon as she laid her first egg (after very excitedly dancing around with her little wings in my hands), I had Robin build me an incubator extension and put the egg straight in. Maybe I'd even get a barn built and invest in a cow or a sheep, I thought. Either way, the final day of Summer had finally arrived, but the heat was barely letting up at all. Marnie told me that I might even get a few more summer harvests yet because of the weather! More than anything, though, I was looking forward to growing some pumpkins. Fall was such a great time of year. Before any of that, though, I had to head down to the beach – the sun was finally beginning to descend, and there was one more festival to attend before summertime was over – the dance of the moonlight jellies.

 

I stepped onto the beach hesitantly. I knew that my friends would be present, and that they'd want me to watch with them… And, you know, Haley especially was always very difficult to say 'no' to. I always felt like I needed an excuse, and whilst harvesting my crops was a great alibi for not going out on the town with them, I obviously wasn't going to be doing much farming at a festival. "Mira!" Right on cue, the eccentric blonde bounced over to me. She was wearing a floaty pink dress with little rhinestones attached to it – probably trying to show off to Alex. Those two confuse me. "You're totally watching the octopus migration or whatever it is with us, right?" I glanced behind her and saw all of my friends looking at me expectantly. Even Sebastian had turned up. I smirked to myself covertly under the cover of night, knowing I already had my excuse lined up. "Ah, sorry," I feigned waving my hands apologetically, "I promised Marnie that I'd watch with her and Jas. I don't want to let them down."

 

"Oh." Haley's face went blank. "Well, whatever. Come by my place for, like, drinks and stuff later though!"

"Sure, sure," I smiled awkwardly before slipping away down the beach. After Shane and I made up, things with my friends were, of course, pretty hostile at first. They gradually got better with it over time, but I knew they still didn't approve and that it was hanging in the air. I didn't like it. Not at all. It's not like I lied to her, anyway – Marnie actually did ask me if I wanted to watch the migration with them. Maybe I was a little too happy about having that alibi, though.

 

The beach buzzed softly with quiet conversation, the crickets in the brushes joining in too. None of the other festivals in the valley felt quite like this one – the excitable chattering was replaced with an air of tranquillity. I calmly wandered down to the docks, where Marnie was managing an impatient Jas. "But I wanna see the jellyfish!"

"They're on their way, dear," Marnie pleaded, as if she'd already said it ten times. Sitting down on the edge of the dock beside them was, to my surprise, Shane. There wasn't a buffet table in sight so part of me didn't expect him to turn up. I walked onto the dock, and upon noticing me, Jas excitedly ran over. "Mira's here! Mira's here!" she danced around me. Marnie hurriedly jogged over, too. "Jas, be careful! Don't run so close to the edge!"

"Hi, Marnie!" I waved, making sure to chauffer Jas away from the edge of the pier with my spare hand. Marnie flashed me her motherly smile through a veil of unease. "Oh, hello, Mira dear!" she took Jas by the hand. "I was actually just heading back up to the beach."

"Huh? Why?"

"Truth be told, I don't trust these old docks…" she shuddered, pointing to the other dock to the left of us where everyone else had gathered. "And look at that one. All those people on one piece of old driftwood… I'll be surprised if no one ends up migrating _with_ the jellies!" she laughed, but I could tell she meant it. I giggled awkwardly at the prospect of Mayor Lewis floating across the sea on the back of a giant jellyfish. I looked over at Shane, who showed no intention of moving. He was sat staring out at the sea, his legs dangling precariously over the edge of the pier. The light from Willy's shack illuminated the back of his head, but I couldn't see his face. I turned to Marnie, a little hesitant. "So… Are we all moving back up to the beach?" My voice pretty much gave it away – I really didn't want to. I'd just managed to escape from Haley and I wasn't about to willingly walk back into her.

"Well, you could stay here and keep Shane company, if you wanted to." She said with a cautious tone, as if she wasn't sure whether or not that was overstepping the mark. It was probably pretty clear to everyone in town by that point that we'd made up, but since she didn't know the details, I could hardly blame her for tiptoeing around the issue. I reassured her with a smile. "Sure!"

As Marnie and Jas walked away I sat beside Shane, who showed no signs of noticing me. This wasn't like his drunken stupor that I'd seen so often, though – his face was peaceful, a soft glimmer of wonder in his eyes as he stared out at the black sea. "The jellies were here a year ago, and they'll be here a year from now…" Shane turned to me, sensing my presence, the floating candle's warm glow illuminating his wonder filled face. "Nature is amazing."

"You like the jellies?" I asked, trying not to sound surprised that he enjoyed a festival that didn't involve any food or alcohol.

"…It's my favourite event of the year. Don't tell anyone, though."

"Sure, sure," I laughed. A blue glimmer appeared at the edge of the visible horizon. Shane gasped excitedly. "They're here."

"I see one! Everyone, they're here!" Mayor Lewis' voice echoed over the beach. Everyone was quiet save for the occasional gasp of awe as a huge blue jellyfish came into view, drifting along on the current. "That's the alpha jellyfish," Shane said to me, "that's why it's so big. It leads all the others."

"O-oh, right…" I'd never heard of anything like that, so I wasn't sure if he was just making it up. True to the story, though, many more jellyfish started to appear, but they were all much smaller. The neon glow of the water flowed blue into green and then into a soft violet. It was incredible – it felt like magic. "Wow…" I sighed. "Seeing this makes me feel like I was born to move here."

"Pff, you really believe in that 'meant to be' stuff?" Shane teased. "Though I guess with a country name like Mirabelle you were born to be a farmer, huh?"

"Hey…" I puffed my cheeks. Shane laughed apologetically. "Maybe you're right, though. My Grandpa named me, and he was a farmer." I beamed. I looked back at the dancing jellies and my face dropped into a serious expression. "…I owe that man everything."

"Oh?"

"Yeah. I guess you could say he saved me."

"How so?" Shane tensed a little. "I-if you want to talk about it, that is. I mean, I'm not gonna ask you any personal questions or anyth—"

"It's fine," I laughed, interrupting his stammering.

"Are you sure?" he frowned, the neon glow reflecting off of his nervous eyes.

"What, are you expecting some sort of tragic back story?" I chuckled. "Sorry, but it's not like that." I watched the giant jellyfish's frills contract and unfurl in the dim violet glow, its companions following close behind, almost close enough to the peer to touch. "I struggled my way through school. I was never the smartest or most charismatic, and I definitely wasn't the prettiest. I was awful at sports, I wasn't artsy at all, and… Well, you get the picture. In my teen years I immersed myself in video games and the like to escape the feeling of being such a failure. When I played games, I felt successful. I felt powerful. It became my life. I got bullied pretty much every day at high school because of that – the other kids thought I was weird and since I've never been tall or strong, I couldn't do anything about it. The teachers didn't care either, and my parents had pretty much disowned me at this point because of my grades and lifestyle… I was so lonely." My throat was drying up with the memories as I thought back. Shane stayed silent, his eyes on the jellies, but I could tell he was taking in every word. The glow of the little sea travellers somehow compelled me to go on, as if they were listening too. "I finished school. Poor grades, no connections, and only myself to hold me up. My parents wanted me gone. I was desperate for a job so that I could get a place of my own, and pretty soon after I heard about Joja Corp's call centre employment scheme at a job fair. They promised me a 'bright future' in the industry, in a place where the employees are always put first. I signed up and moved to the other side of the city, only to find that all of their 'Joja Promises' were full of shit… Excuse the language."

"No, no," Shane scoffed, "I'm well aware that Joja are full of crap. They deserve much worse than that."

"I guess so," I chucked quietly. "During this whole time, I'd forgotten. My Grandpa wrote me a letter just before he died – I was only five at the time. I went back to my apartment one day after work, desperate to find another job – _any_ other job. I couldn't take it anymore. I was rummaging through papers to see if I had any leftover job leaflets when a blue envelope slipped out from between them. Grandpa's letter. I'd completely forgotten, but I must've been carrying it around the whole time – like he was by my side all along. When I picked it up I remembered being at his bed side… The last time I saw him." I clenched my fists, fighting back tears. I barely had a chance to get to know my Grandpa, but he meant so much to me – especially then. "He told me not to open it straight away. He said one day I might reach a point where I'm desperate to get away, and that I should only open it when that happens. Honestly, I was sceptical when I found it. I was in a dead end job with no personal merits – whatever Grandpa had planned for me, I probably wouldn't be qualified for. I'm still not sure I am…"

"You underestimate yourself, I think." Shane said candidly. "So what then? You cracked open that geezer's letter and hightailed it over here?"

"Well, not exactly," I responded, giggling at Shane's tone. "I guess I felt like maybe, whatever was inside could be my last lifeline, you know? So I was hesitant to open it. I was scared of being disappointed, or unworthy. So I kept it sealed and I took it to work with me. I locked it in the top drawer of my desk."

"Didn't it kill you inside knowing it was there?"

"Of course," I sighed, "it was never not on my mind. I told myself I'd hold out until I seriously couldn't handle being at Joja anymore, though, and that day came pretty quick. I was on the phone to a particularly difficult customer, who then decided to report me to a higher-up. It's not like I could have prevented it. In a Joja call centre, you're instructed to read off of the sheet you're given, and that's exactly what I did. Adding your own responses to customers is a suspendable offence. Even so, my boss came and railed me for what happened. He told me I could face suspension, and off he went to discuss it with some of his other cronies. I was sick to death of it. It was so unfair… I unlocked the top drawer and tore open the letter." I laughed to myself knowingly. "A farm, I thought. What the hell could I possibly do on a farm? I wasn't cut out for manual labour. I knew nothing about crops or animals. Sorry, Grandpa, but you can't be serious – that's what I thought at the time. I shook my head and rejected the idea completely. Then my boss came back."

"…So you got fired and then had no choice but to take up your grandfather's offer?"

"Not quite," I grinned, "he said my wages were being cut because the customer threatened to never shop at Joja again. Good riddance, I'd say, but I digress. I was so mad. I clenched the letter in my fist, stood up, and told him to shove his job up his ass and marched out of there. Everyone was staring, but it felt good. My boss' face was a fantastic shade of red, too." I laughed proudly, savouring the memory. My smile faded slightly as I continued. "I decided to trust in Grandpa and I came here to inherit his farm."

"So that was _his_ farm?" Shane asked, eyebrows raised. "He lived here too?"

"Yeah, he got sucked into some awful corporation just like me. But he was different – he'd always loved nature. Freedom. A simpler life than what the city could offer him. So he invested in building up his farmland. He even met my Grandma here… I guess his story gave me hope that I could find happiness here, too." Things went quiet for a while after that. The rounded tops of the jellies skimmed across the surface of the water in little ripples, the beach in silent awe. "And?" Shane said at last. "Did you?"

"Yeah… I mean…" I sighed. "When I first moved here I was so adamant not to end up isolated again so I put on a big smile and tried to get along with everyone. I never smiled or even spoke so much before I moved here… If I showed any of my friends here my school photos I doubt they'd even recognise me. It just feels like I got myself stuck in a façade that I'd risk losing everything over if I stopped doing it now."

"I dunno," Shane mused, "sure, it might ruffle a few feathers. But you'll always have Marnie and Jas. And me." His face suddenly pinked and he started to stutter. "I-I mean, as a friend. You know."

"I know," I laughed, staring out at the lit-up sea. "I'm really glad to know you guys." I wasn't sure whether I should have told Shane everything. We agreed to start over, but I couldn't help trusting him – besides, I knew all about his past before the valley. It was only fair, after all.

We watched in peaceful silence as the jellies gently floated past us, the glow slowly fading over the south horizon. Soon the beach was pitch dark, the flames of the candles burned out into warm cinders. Summer was officially over. "Looks like that's it," Shane exhaled, standing up with his hands still in his pockets. "What now?"

"Well apparently I'm supposed to be going to some after party at Haley's house…" I lamented.

"Sounds lame."

"Yeah."

"Wanna bail to the Saloon instead?"

"Sounds good to me," I smiled, and we made our way back up the beach.


	15. Standing Up

** Shane's P.O.V. **

The blazing sun was finally starting its descent beneath the rooftops before falling into the sea. Summer may have been over, but the air was still obnoxiously heavy with humidity. The once-verdant leaves were beginning to brown like a slow burning flame, though the pavements were clear for now. Shame, I thought - fallen leaves were never quite the same as Morris' face, for instance, but I enjoyed kicking them as I walked anyway. On the approach to the Saloon I noticed my own ragged reflection in the window, and gave myself a sigh of encouragement. Marnie had given me a job to do, and while I honestly didn't understand why she couldn't just do it herself, I wasn't really in any position to argue. It made sense that she'd ask me to do it, sure, and maybe she was just trying to help, but even she knew my people skills weren't exactly razor-sharp. But in this case… Maybe…

I pushed the door open and stepped into the warm rustic glow of the Saloon, squinting slightly against the contrast in light. When my vision finally focused, I saw two malachite eyes before me accompanied by a big smile. "Hi, Shane!"

"Oh, h-hi, Rain…" _Shit._ I'd usually get to the Saloon first bar the very rare occasion, so I was hoping to have a little time to drink and work up a buzz before talking to her. After everything it really didn't make sense to be so nervous - I knew that. But logic didn't mean a thing when she was smiling at me like that. "...I'm gonna go get a drink."

"Okay! I'll be in the usual spot," she beamed. _Usual spot?_ Questions aside, was this really okay? We were supposed to be taking our friendship slow, right? I was getting a headache. I placed my elbow on the sticky bar, almost thankful that it was Gus' head I was looking at the back of and not the shrill blue-haired barmaid. "Gus. A beer."

"Coming right up, my friend!" Gus bellowed heartily, twirling his moustache. Moments later he lifted an overflowing glass onto the bar before me, the froth rolling down the sides. Without stopping to wonder if Gus ever wiped the bar down, I picked up the damp glass and dawdled over to where Rain was sitting, trying to piece the right sentence together in my head and, of course, failing to do so. I sat down on the barstool beside her and took a long sip of my beer. I didn't notice it before, but Rain's overalls were covered in dirt - they were more brown than blue. That was just one of the small signs that it was the start of a new season. I smirked to myself.

"What's funny?" Rain tilted her head.

"Oh, nothing," I mused, glancing at her clothes.

"H-hey!" her now red cheeks puffed out as she tried to pat the dirt off of herself, "Don't make fun. I've spent the past few days doing nothing but planting pumpkins."

"Well, that explains it," I laughed. I took another sip of my drink and sighed. I had to ask her for Marnie, and if I didn't get it done soon then knowing me, I probably wouldn't do it at all. "Hey… Rain."

"Yeah?"

"What, uh… What are you doing for the Valley Fair?" I shuffled my feet nervously. _Stop freaking out, you idiot. It's not like you're asking her on a date._

"Huh?" she gave me a wide-eyed look. "Ohh, that. Mayor Lewis mentioned it to me a while ago but I've not really made any plans for it." she rubbed the back of her head with an awkward smile. "Honestly, I don't think I'm ready to commit to making my own display or anything like that… I'll probably just watch the contest and go play some carnival games."

"I see."

"Why do you ask?"

"W-well, uhh…" my heart jolted. It felt like a spotlight was on me as my brain scrambled to find the words, Rain's expectant eyes interrogating me silently. "I was wondering if- n-no no, Aunt Marnie wanted me to ask… Uhh…" my eyes flitted around as I steadied my breath. All at once and with a long sigh I asked her; "do you want to help us with Aunt Marnie's display this year?"

"Huh? Me? Really?" Rain asked in a high pitch voice like a kid being picked for the school play.

"Yeah," I exhaled all of my built up tension, "Marnie thought it might be fun if the four of us competed together."

"I'd love to!" Rain exclaimed. "But… wouldn't it be more fun if you guys just did it as a family? I don't want to get in the way, you know…"

"A… family?" Is that what we were? Sure, it was really starting to feel that way lately, but the idea of 'family' was still so alien to me. "Well I- we thought it'd be more fun with you there, I guess. And, well…" I glanced over my shoulder and lowered my voice, "It's Marnie's birthday a couple days after the Fair and I thought the first place ribbon would be a great early gift for her, and… I figured since you're a farmer and all, you could help us have the best possible chance…"

"Marnie's birthday?" the doubt in her eyes disappeared all at once. "In that case I'd love to help out! Though I've never done anything like this before, so…"

"Me neither," I responded between sips of beer, "I'm honestly not too sure what I'm supposed to be doing, but I guess we'll figure it out."

It was at that time that the blue-haired bar maid emerged from the back room of the Saloon. Her eyes scanned around the room, and when she noticed Rain, her walk evolved into a silly jog, her red-lipped smile almost maniacal. Or maybe that was just my imagination. _Great,_ I thought, _another quiet evening ruined._ I leant back against the short back of the barstool, drink in hand - whatever this obnoxious bundle of eccentricity was going to strike up a conversation about, I wanted no part of it. "Mira!" she squealed excitedly. "I was hoping I'd catch you tonight!"

"Emily!" Rain smiled, almost surprised, "what's up?"

"Well," she mumbled, reaching into her pocket and revealing a crumpled up pink envelope, "my sister wanted me to give you this if I happened to see you."

"Haley did?" Rain cautiously began to tear open the seal. I could tell from her forced shrill voice that she wanted to hide it from the barmaid, but I knew she was apprehensive.

"Oi, Emily! Over here!" Pam slurred from across the bar, waving a tankard in the air.

"Oh! Coming!" the barmaid shouted back jollily, waving at Rain and then skipping across the bar. Meanwhile, Rain was carefully appraising a salmon-pink piece of paper covered in annoyingly curly handwriting. I'm not sure what else I expected, to be honest. "So? What's it say?"

"Oh, apparently it's Elliott's birthday tomorrow. They're having a party…" She sighed, "But tomorrow night's when Marnie's giving me my dancing lesson this week."

"Oh right, that." I almost forgot that she even had dancing lessons. "I guess it is a bit short notice."

"Yeah… Well, they're meeting at 3pm tomorrow. Maybe I'll just show face for an hour or two."

"Fair enough," I shrugged.

"So, got any ideas for our Fair display yet?"

"Well, we were thinking…" And just like that, we talked the night away. Before I knew it my reservations about moving too fast all fizzled away like the bubbles in my glass.

**Mira's P.O.V.**

The yellowing leaves rustled in the afternoon breeze as I walked through town, carefully balancing a basket of blackberries in my hands. I honestly didn't know Elliott well enough to know what he'd want for his birthday, but I figured handpicked fruit would at least be okay. It's the thought that counts anyway, right? I approached the river and sure enough, everyone was gathered. Haley was sat on Alex's coat - probably avoiding the dirt on the ground - and Alex was stood up next to her, showing off with his football. Maru and Harvey were chatting to Elliott, who was sat next to a typically quiet Penny. Sam and Leah were eating sandwiches and laughing together. "Long time no see," a familiar voice came from beside me. It was Sebastian, who was standing in the shadow of the cliff. "Oh! Seb!" I smiled, "yeah, sorry about that. I've had a lot going on."

"It's cool. I'm just glad you're here now," he replied unusually warmly, "mum says you should come over for dinner sometime soon. If you wanted to, that is."

"I'd love to!" I replied with a grin.

"Mira! Hey!" Leah called over to me, causing everyone to turn their heads in my direction. I covertly gulped before making my way over to them. "Hey, guys! Happy birthday, Elliott!" I held out the basket to him nervously, feigning confidence. "I picked you some blackberries. I hope you like them!"

"Marvellous!" Elliott responded with all of his usual bravado, "a thousand thanks, Mirabelle. I shall enjoy these in my boudoir with a nice slice of carrot cake." _Boudoir? He lives in a shack…_ regardless, I kept grinning and took a seat down by the river. Haley stood up, flicking her hair. "Who wants to play truth or dare~?" She squealed excitedly, yanking the not-quite-finished bottle of soda out of the now disgruntled Alex's hands. "Fine, but nothing weird," Leah responded with an eye roll.

Several ridiculous questions and dares later, the sun was beginning to descend. "Oh!" I stood up sharp. "I have to go. I'm supposed to be at Marnie's house."

"Aww, you're leaving already?" Haley faked a pout, but I was well aware she didn't really care.

"Yeah, sorry." I smiled. "I'll see you all soon, okay?" I made my way over the small stone bridge.

"Wait." Leah's stern voice rung out from behind me. I turned around, and she was pointing the bottle dead at me. This didn't feel like a game anymore. "I have one more question for Mira." Everyone went silent. "Why are you still hanging around with that drunken loser?"

"Wh-what?" I stammered. Leah had lost her usual caring 'older sibling' demeanour and now held me in her piercing gaze as if I were on trial.

"You heard me. Are we not good enough?"

"Yeah," Haley started too, "what do you see in that dirty old man?"

"But he-"

"Don't you think he's just using you?" Maru too? Harvey sat beside her nodding in agreement. In fact, they were all nodding along. I couldn't quite believe what was happening, how quickly this had all escalated. "Nothing good can come of hanging around with him. You should know that already."

"W-well, I-"

"He's just a waste of space. You're better off with _us._ "

"Listen." I clenched my fists and spoke up finally. "Who I hang around with is _my_ business and _my_ choice."

"But Mira, he's-"

"No, Leah." I stared daggers right back at her. I'd had enough. "I'm friends with Shane whether you like it or not. We're not hurting anyone, so it's no one else's business what we do. You told me that before didn't you?" At last she went quiet. I scoffed quietly before turning around again. "We're preparing for the upcoming festival. Don't expect to see me for a while." I walked away, encompassed by the silence, the gravel crunching under my shoes the only sound I could hear. As I walked I caught sight of Sebastian's blank expression, clearly dumbfounded by the events that had just unfolded. Our eye contact lasted for a few seconds before I held my head up once again and faced forward, leaving the scene behind me. A single stream rolled down my cheek and splashed against my shoe. I took a few deep breaths as I approached the edge of the forest, the light from Marnie's house illuminating the darkened trees. I wiped my eyes on my sleeve, gently pushing the door open. Shane was leaning against the counter. "Hey, Rai-" he stopped dead when he caught sight of my expression. Was it that obvious? He walked over and gently placed his warm hands on my shoulders, steadying my shaking. "Are… are you okay? What happened?"

"I'm alright now…" I forced a smile, staring up into his worried hazel eyes, his beer-scented breath thawing out my cheeks. "I'll be just fine."


	16. Paranoid

_ Shane's P.O.V. _

_Four… Five… Six…_ Holding as many bags of wheat seeds as I could carry, I made my way over to Pierre's counter. It was the day before the Valley Fair and almost surprisingly, Morris had given everyone the day off to prepare. How gracious of him, I would have thought, if I wasn't wise to the fact that this probably meant forced overtime later in the week. Marnie and Rain were busy preparing the goods for our display, so I'd been tasked with buying wheat seeds for the cows. "Ah, good afternoon, Shane." Pierre nodded, counting the bags of seeds as he pushed his glasses back up his nose. His eyes were uncharacteristically lined with subtle dark circles.

"Afternoon," I mumbled back, my hands in my pockets.

"Preparations for the Fair going well, I take it?" he tapped at the cash register. I nodded, and he smirked slightly. "Well, let's hope it stays that way."

"What?"

"Oh, nothing," he yawned, falsely nonchalant, "but it doesn't hurt to be prepared, you know?" there was an unpleasant glint in his eye as he bagged up the seeds. "Sixty gold."

I handed over the money, my eyes never flickering from his and vice versa. Then, grabbing the handles of the thin plastic bag, turned heel and walked briskly out of the doors. _What the hell was that…?_ I felt it in the pit of my stomach. Something wasn't right about what Pierre had just said. I mean, I barely knew the guy, but that was _definitely_ out of character. Out of the corner of my eye as I crossed the square a figure emerged and I almost jumped out of my skin. "Afternoon, Shane!" A chipper voice called to me.

"Oh… afternoon, Mayor." It was just Lewis… I was getting jumpy. I just needed to get inside and calm myself down.

Before long, I was comfortably away from the town into the forest. Pushing open Aunt Marnie's front door I heard girlish laughter - Jas was helping Rain decorate the practice display, all the while Marnie overlooked the situation contentedly. As the door clicked shut Jas noticed me, a grin beaming on her face from ear to ear. "Shane's home! Shane's home!"

"Hey, Jas," I smiled calmly. I didn't want to let on that something was wrong with Jas in earshot - I would not ruin this for her. Rain looked happy, too. "Hey! I think we're about ready for tomorrow," she said, signaling the display behind her. Spools of silk were furled up at the top with vegetables and bottles of milk shining in the dim light. Large white eggs were assembled at the bottom and the centrepiece was an impressively large pumpkin. "What do you think?"

"Woah," I gasped to myself in awe, "not bad at all."

"I'll say!" Marnie chuckled. "Shane, dear, could you go into the coop and feed the girls?"

"Sure." I glanced over at Rain. "Come with me?"

"Wha..?" She tilted her head. "Can't you manage by yourself?"

"Please." I lowered my voice, covertly looking over at Jas. "...I need to say something." Rain looked pensive as I said this. "Oh… okay," she followed me, waving to Marnie. "I'm gonna go help Shane!"

"Thank you, dear!" My Aunt shouted after her. I closed the coop door so that it was just the two of us, alone in the quiet darkness - other than the chickens of course. "So? What's wrong?" She stared up at me, full-faced, full of concern. The green of her eyes still seemed to glimmer, even in the dark of the coop… she was truly breathtaking, there was no denying that. It would've been the perfect opportunity for a confession, huh? I could've told her right then and there how I felt about her. The mood was right. I was mostly sober. As always, she was beautiful… believe me, I considered it. But Pierre's words were pressing hard against my skull. The nagging feeling wouldn't stop… I knew there was something more imminent. "I… I think someone might be out to sabotage our display."

" _What?_ " she whispered sharply, checking behind her for signs of Marnie. "You're joking, right?"

"I wish."

"Well… Who? And why?"

"I was at Pierre's earlier," I sighed, "he was acting weird and kind of implied something bad could happen to our display."

"Hmm…" Rained frowned, her forefinger's knuckle on her chin like one of those Greek statues. "And you're sure this isn't just a misunderstanding?"

"Well, I…" I stuttered. I guess from Rain's perspective, it just sounded like paranoid rambling. But I was there. I could feel his animosity. "I don't think so…"

"Listen, I know you really want to get this first place ribbon for Marnie. I've been getting more paranoid as the days go on too, that I'm gonna knock over the display, or something just won't be quite right… You know?" She reassured me. My stomach dropped - she didn't believe me. No, I suppose that makes sense - the more I thought about it, the less sense it made that Pierre would be out to get us. "...Yeah. Sorry." I rubbed my face tiredly. "I just… I want Aunt Marnie to be happy."

"I know." she smiled sweetly. "So do I. We'll do our best, okay?"

"...Yeah." I averted my eyes. I probably sounded like a total idiot. Wordlessly we headed back inside. Jas was admiring the giant pumpkin, eyes full of glee. Aunt Marnie looked excited too. I shook myself out of my paranoia and joined them.

_Please let me be wrong about this… Marnie deserves to be happy..._


	17. Fraud

"Alright, here we go…"

"Jeez, Shane, don't drop it!"

"I won't, I won't…" Shane rolled his eyes holding one end of our grange display whilst I held up the other side. "Remind me again why we have to carry the whole thing as is?"

"Don't ask me. Marnie wanted to save time and do it this way. Now quit slacking on your side!" I was buckling under the weight of the giant pumpkin and Shane was taking his sweet time. Jas was giggling, dancing around us and the giant pumpkin. Cute, but she nearly knocked me over three or four times just on the way out of the door. I'd never noticed before just how bumpy the ground in the forest was until just then, and it _really_ didn't feel like the best of times to be finding out. The edges of the display were digging into my palms. I wasn't sure how long I'd be able to hold out, but I was decidedly not about to drop this thing after how hard we worked on it. Not a chance.

The paved path into town really wasn't any better than the bumpy ground in the forest - in fact, it was a total mess to walk on and I nearly tripped up several times. Note to self: find Lewis and make him get this fixed. Weaving around all the people was no easy task, as well as the attractions and tents all over town. Why, oh why didn't we just get up early like I wanted to?! Well, I know why. Shane couldn't get his lazy butt out of bed. But I digress. The display, to my horror, knocked against a lamp post as we walked and I heard Shane groan on impact. We wobbled a little, but thankfully we managed to keep our balance. "Good morning, Mira!" I heard the Mayor's voice behind me.

"Hi, Lewis. Can't talk. Gotta put this down." I grumbled, straining to talk. We'd finally reached the space for our grange display, and with one final heave we set it down. "Whew…" I'd never been so relieved to put something down in my entire life. "Okay, now what?"

"Buffet." Shane shuffled off toward a long blue table covered in all sorts of different dishes. I sighed. "Jeez, you're so boring…" Looking around, the Mayor had really done a number on the town. Colourful streamers, brightly coloured tents, even tourists! I was actually pretty impressed. As I walked around, I felt a hand on my shoulder. "Good day, Mirabelle! Would ye care for a try, lass?" I turned toward the gruff voice to see a thick bearded man with a pipe in his mouth. With all the people around the pipe wasn't lit, of course - maybe it was just a comforting habit. "Oh… Willy!" I looked up at the red striped tent and saw a crude wooden sign with what I guessed was probably a fish on it. "Sure, I'll give it a try!" Willy led me inside, where there was a small pool of water. Carp were just visible. Willy handed me a tattered old rod and blew a whistle. I kinda wished I could use my own rod, but hey, no need to sweat the small stuff. With a great swing I cast out my line.

"Whew…" I'd managed to catch eight fish in two minutes. Not bad, if I do say so myself.

"Wow, lass, ye be a natural!" Willy looked impressed when we left the tent. I waved my hand, rubbing the back of my head with the other. "Nah, it was just a lucky-" from the corner of my eye I could see a head of bleach blonde hair. _Uh-oh._ And it wasn't just Haley - Leah, Alex and Sam were with her too. It didn't look like they'd spotted me yet, but they were heading my way. "A-anyway, I'd better go. See you later, Willy!" I abruptly turned heel and ducked into the next nearest tent - the slingshot contest. It was a little dark, but I could just about make out several targets lined up on the far wall behind a wooden barricade. Three slingshots were resting atop the barricade, and a pot of small stones was beside each one. Cautiously I picked up a slingshot and the tent sprung to life; the lights flashed on, carnival music started blaring out and the targets started to move. "Gyaaaahhh!" I exclaimed in surprise. Just then I heard a soft chuckle from beside me. _Oh great. Someone saw my soul leave my body over a fairground attraction. Kill me now._ I looked up and froze in place. It was Sebastian. Was he with the others? No… He was alone. But… Was it really okay? The last time we spoke was…

"You playing?" He said at last.

"Oh… Sure!" I looked down at the slingshot in my hands. "I didn't take you as the type to come out and play fairground games."

"I'm hiding from my family," he mumbled and rolled his eyes - or, at least, I could see that he was rolling the eye that was visible from under his fringe. "What about you?"

"Oh… Yeah, something like that too…" I laughed awkwardly, wondering if the Haley crew had seen me hightail it away from them. Sebastian grinned, put his pack of cigarettes down on the barricade and started the timer. He grabbed a stone, lined up a shot and hit one of the high point targets like a total natural. Feeling confident, I tried it myself. I pulled the elastic back as far as it would go, and- oh. I completely missed. And again. And again. "Maybe I'm not cut out for this," I laughed. My breath got caught in my throat when I felt two hoodie sleeves gently drape over my arms. Sebastian's slightly cold hands gracefully guided mine. "It's about precision, not strength," he spoke softly and his voice lifted the hair covering my ear ever so slightly. Given our height difference he was almost definitely crouching, but he still clearly knew what he was doing. "You don't need to pull the elastic back all the way." As much as I hate to admit it, I was barely even listening to his instructions. It was all I could do to keep my hands from trembling. Was it just me, or did Seb smell _really_ good? His scent drove a flush to my cheeks and I could only hope he wasn't looking at my face. Even so, we let go of the elastic in unison and the stone hit the dead centre of one of the lower targets. "Hey, not bad." Sebastian mused. But he didn't let go. And neither did I. I turned my head just a little to the right and our eyes met. Our faces were so close together that our noses were almost touching. I wasn't sure how long for anymore, but neither of us had said anything for a while. His deep brown eyes seemed to be drawing closer as the blood whooshed around in my ears.

"Sebby?" Robin's voice shattered the atmosphere. Sebastian's eyes narrowed ever so slightly as he started to look through me rather than at me.

"Sebby, where are you? It's family picture time!"

"Oh, for god's sake…" he stepped away, hanging his head. "I'm coming." he shouted outside. He looked at me again, just for a moment, before averting his eyes. "I gotta go. I'll… see you around."

"Oh… Okay!" I finally caught my breath, shaking myself out of my trance. and with that, he was gone. "Oh," I said to myself. He'd left his packet of cigarettes on the counter. Not a habit I particularly approved of, but it wasn't really any of my business. Slipping them into my pocket, I made a mental note to return them to him before the end of the festival.

I slipped out of the tent and walked over to the buffet table. I'd caught sight of some of Gus' famous chocolate fudge cake with my name all over it. Not literally, obviously, but that would've been great too. Just as I was about to dig into a slice the size of my head, a certain pepper popper eating Joja Mart employee scoffed at me. "Sure that's a big enough piece?"

"Not nearly," I jested. "I'd eat the whole thing if no one was looking and you know it."

"That's true…" Shane smirked. Before long, Marnie and Jas appeared beside us. "Marnie! I wanna go look at the tents!" Straight away, Jas' excitement gauge was at one hundred percent.

"Okay, dear…" Marnie looked exhausted. She was probably worried about the grange display.

"We could take care of Jas for a while if you want us to. Right, Shane?" I gave the oblivious oaf a nudge and he nearly choked on a pepper popper. "Wha…? Oh, er, yeah, sure." He probably didn't even hear the question.

"Oh, would you? Fantastic! Thanks so much, Mira." Marnie clasped her hands together with joy.

"No problem!" I beamed back. "So, where do you want to go first, Jas?"

"Hmmm…" Jas looked around pensively before her smile broadened again. "I want to look at… That one!" Shane and I both followed Jas' gaze and fell into silence.

"...Um."

"Is that… In the graveyard?" We were doubtful, but it was no good - Jas' excitement didn't budge. We turned to Marnie for moral support but she was already neck deep in a bowl of soup. Sigh. "Okay, well… It's worth a look, right?" I tried to stay optimistic, but Shane looked doubtful. We walked cautiously over the the graveyard and took a look at the tent.

"A fortune teller!" Jas gasped in wonder. Shane rolled his eyes and gave her a hundred-gold piece.

"Fine, go ahead. We'll wait out here."

"Are you sure?" I whispered to Shane as Jas happily skipped away. "It looks a bit sketchy."

"Nah, it's fine," Shane shrugged. "We're right out here. Besides, the mayor might be an idiot, but he's not enough of one to hire questionable attractions. Well… No worse than the clown over there, anyway."

"I guess that's true…" I laughed. Barely a few moments later, Jas skipped out of the tend, clearly satisfied.

"I wonder what garbage line they fed her." Shane whispered to me.

"Wow!" Jas exclaimed when she reached us. "That was fun! You go get one too!" She pulled at Shane's sleeve.

"Er…" Shane clearly wasn't feeling the idea.

"Aw, c'mon," I teased. "I'll even go with you. It'll be fun."

"Fine," Shane sighed, giving into Jas' puppy dog eyes no doubt. We headed into the tent. Inside was an elderly woman clad in a dark blue cloak, a crystal ball sitting on the table in front of her. Shane reluctantly handed over his gold, and the mysterious woman began to cast her hands over the crystal ball. I was entranced by the performance. I'd never been to a fortune telling booth before. "There once was a young goddess by the name of Albina…" a raspy voice began to stir from under the cloak, the hairs on the back of my neck standing on end. "She fell for a young god by the name of Liber, and he fell for her." Her hand motions became more violent. "However, their love did not go without challenge… The sea goddess Llyr grew jealous and resentful of their blooming romance. She lunged toward Liber with all the ferocity of the ocean waves!" Her hands were still now, but stiff, atop the crystal ball. "Albina threw herself in front of Liber and took the brunt of Llyr's attack, sacrificing herself in the name of love…" The woman grew silent for a very long moment before whispering, "May this story light the way for your future…"

"...That's it?" Shane said skeptically. "How does that story have _anything_ to do with me?"

Silence.

"What a surprise, the con artist doesn't even-"

"Come on, Shane, let's go…" I forced a smile and dragged him out of the tent by the arm, my eyes readjusting to the soft sunlight. I thought the story was kinda cool, to be honest. Shane, however, wasn't buying it. "I don't know what I expected, honestly."

We were teaching Jas how to play the fishing game when a bell tolled. "Ten minutes until grange display judgement time, everyone!" Lewis called, cupping his hands around his mouth like a megaphone.

"Ooh, are all of the displays set up?" I glanced over to where our display was sitting - our giant pumpkin looked great. Directly next to it was Pierre's display with an even bigger pumpkin, however, but ours was clearly superior in quality. I was so excited!

But… Wait. What was Pierre doing? He was skulking around behind our display with a dark expression, and as soon as he caught sight of me looking at him, he quickly glanced away and scurried over to Gus' burger stand. _What the…?_ Jas' excitable squealing and Shane's apathetic sighs were being drowned out by doubt. Was Shane right after all? Without another word I hurried over there. Marnie called out to me but it barely registered. I squeezed past Clint's ingot stall and briskly walked behind our stall and…

Oh.

Oh no.

 

** Shane's P.O.V. **

I was getting bored. Those ten minutes could not be going any slower. Whilst Marnie took Jas by the hand to go look at the creepy clown everyone somehow seemed to be totally unfazed by, I wandered over to the buffet table. _Looks like Pam's been messing with the punch again. Perfect._ Good old Lewis put an alcohol restriction on a lot of these festivals, but Pam was an expert when it came to smuggling it in. I stared down at the bowl full of crimson liquid and took a big sniff. _Yep… That's whiskey, alright. It's not beer, but it'll do._ I smirked to myself devilishly, poured a cup and knocked it back. When I lowered the cup out of the way of my vision, I nearly jumped out of my skin when I saw Rain right in front of me. "Jeez! Were you a ninja in a past life?"

"Sh-Shane…" Rain's voice was barely a whisper. Her face was pale, like she'd just seen a murder. Her eyes were wide as ever, but not bright - it was as if they were screaming.

"What… What happened?" I took her by the shoulders and lowered myself to her level.

"It… It…"

"It? It?"

"We…"

"We?"

"Our display… Sabotage… Shane, you were right! Pierre, he…!" She sprung back to life, looking like she was about to cry.

"Wha…" The tension left my body. My shoulders dropped with a sigh. "Are you that tired?"

"No, I mean it!"

"Look, I'm sorry, okay?" I tried to smile. This was obviously my own fault. "I know I was on edge about Pierre before but we talked about that, remember? You're just being paranoid." Oh boy, did she look offended when I said that. She averted her aggravated expression to the side and didn't look back at me. Jeez, I wished I'd never opened my mouth in the first place. "Hey, why don't we just let this go-"

"We don't have _time_ for this!" The tiny whirlwind of rage grabbed my arm and before I knew it I was being whisked through the crowd.

"S-slow down! Hey-"

"Look."

"Huh?" I looked. Oh, did I look. And I couldn't look away. The big pumpkin that we'd spent so long growing… Harvesting… Polishing. The back of it was covered in slugs. Someone had sabotaged us, and I knew exactly who. "Oh god."

"See?" Her tone was breathy and almost cutting. "Paranoid, am I?"

"Shit…" The damage was bad. They'd eaten through the rough exterior all the way to the stringy orange flesh. Huge visible holes riddled the back of the pumpkin like some sort of horrible mosaic. "What… What are we gonna do…?!"

"Sheesh…" Rain looked over to where Marnie and Jas were. Jas was clapping excitedly at the weird clown's tricks. Even Marnie was glowing… She was none the wiser. We did this for her. For her birthday, for the first place ribbon… My heart dropped. It was all falling apart. Rain stared at the pumpkin with intense eyes. "We need to get them off. Now."

"Y-yeah. Okay." I'd never seen her so serious. Not that it was a bad thing - if I was dealing with it alone I'd probably have just ran off to drown my sorrows. Frantically we peeled the slugs off of what remained of the pumpkin, one by one, before Rain deposited them onto some nearby grass. She might've been mad, but she was still that same old bleeding heart farmer girl. Try as we did, though, even when the slugs were gone, the gaping holes still remained. It looked a complete mess. "Now what?"

"Now what…" she repeated in a murmur, staring over at Marnie again with slightly watery eyes. "Now nothing… We can't fix this."

"Right folks, it's about time for the judging to begin!" Lewis bellowed. Rain's back stiffened. I felt like I'd been punched in the gut. She was right - there was nothing we could do now. It was too late.

"Oh, is it time?" Marnie clasped her hands together and started to head over to the square. Oh god it felt like I was going to throw up. Rain was motionless. As the mayor made his way around the grange displays, time felt like it had been stretched, distorted, stopped. Finally, Lewis reached our display. Neither of us looked at him - or anyone. I would've preferred to be swallowed up by the damn ground if it meant getting out of there. "Well, let's see what we've got here…" he mumbled contentedly as he appraised the display. "Oh, wow. This corn is an impressive golden colour." He mumbled on as if he knew what the heck he was talking about. "And this pumpkin! Quite sizeable indeed!" he chuckled. Rain clenched her fist. "Oh, but what's this…?" Yep. He'd seen it. The pale orange flesh of the pumpkin was beginning to brown after being exposed to the air. "Oh, what a shame…" Lewis looked like he was about to take his hat off and pay his respects. Rain just looked ready to cry. "I did wonder when Marnie told me that you all would be entering a pumpkin as your main piece."

"...Why's that?" I managed to choke out a raspy grunt through my dry throat.

"Well, with how the weather's been, Pierre has been telling me that they've been struggling to grow any of decent quality."

"Is that right…" Rain's teeth were gritted. Oh boy, did she sound mad… But it was that kind of calm mad. The kind where you're not quite sure what they're thinking and it's actually even scarier than them just exploding. But I knew what she was thinking this time - a little, at least. Pierre - that sneaky bastard. Trying to make up for his own failures by sabotaging us…

"Unfortunately I'll have to mark you down," Lewis rubbed his moustache before moving on to the stall belonging to Captain Creep himself. Pierre held his head up proudly like the turncoat teacher's pet of the class. Disgusting. I felt my blood boil as Lewis' eyebrows raised in surprise.

"Wow, very nice produce as usual, Pierre!" But it didn't make sense. He had a giant pumpkin as his centrepiece, too. And it's not like he was in our shadow - his was bigger. Brighter. So why? Something just didn't add up.

"Colour me impressed!" The Mayor chuckled almost sickeningly as Pierre lapped up the praise like a filthy hound. Lewis pinned the golden ribbon to the front of Pierre's display. "I think this decides it."

Ouch. The injustice. The pain in my gut was more than I expected. And she was hurting even more than I was. Rain didn't even look up when Lewis pinned the silver ribbon on our display. "Ah well, these things happen, don't they?" Lewis smiled apologetically to Marnie, who'd just arrived on the scene. "There's always next year."

"You're right." Rain spoke nonchalantly, her expression an unreadable zen. Was she really not upset about this? Her gaze drifted to Pierre, and she began to walk casually over to him. "I'd like to congratulate the winner personally. The best man won." She smiled, but not genuinely - a smile like bitter dark chocolate, with an edge just sweet enough to fool everyone. She held out her hand to Pierre, who warily and silently shook it. He knew he'd just gotten away with the perfect crime. Asshole. He's perverted this festival. Dishonest little rat. As I cursed him to myself in my head I almost missed it; a sleight of hand so casual that, not knowing as much as I did, I would've thought it an accident. "Oops," Rain said sarcastically as Pierre's display clattered to the ground. Wow. She was out for blood. I stifled a laugh as the crowd gasped. But… They weren't gasping at what she did. The pumpkin didn't land with a splat - the initial impact shattered it, leaving a hole - the husk rattling to a halt. "P-p-p-plastic?!"

Pierre's eyes were wild with panic. His mouth moved but no words crept out. The jig was up. Rain had his number, and by god she was making a house call.

"Pierre…" Lewis spoke sternly with wide eyes. "Explain yourself."

"I… I… It…" Pierre raise his hands above his head rigidly with his fingers spread like a madman. He made Linus look normal. Anger and fear flickered back and forth in his eyes - no one was sure whether he'd throw a fit or burst into tears. It was pretty pathetic, honestly. Everyone silently looked on. "It wouldn't grow! The rain… It waterlogged! I had to! I had to win…!"

"So, winning's more important than honesty, is it?" Even old man George piped up. I always knew he loved a good bit of drama. "You young'uns got a thing or two to learn about respect. Hmmph."

"Pierre, how could you…?" Marnie looked personally hurt. Thankfully, Jas didn't seem to really grasp what was going on.

"N-no, I…"

"Well, I think we all know who really deserves this first place ribbon." Lewis hastily unpinned the ribbon from Pierre's pitiful display - or what was left of it - and held it out delicately in both hands to Marnie.

"Oh my…" She gasped. _Jeez, Marnie, he isn't proposing. Take the damn ribbon._ "We… We won!"

"Happy birthday, Marnie!" Rain lightly jogged back over to us, sunny as ever. How on earth did she know to do that? Note to self: Never. _Ever._ Get on Rain's bad side. Nevertheless, I grinned. "Happy birthday, Aunt Marnie."

"Yay!" Jas cheered, dancing around with the ribbon on her head. I looked over to Pierre, who was shakily scurrying inside. Attention was on Marnie now and everyone was cheering, but this wasn't the end for him. Oh, no. In a small village like Pelican Town, I guess people had a certain level of trust, and he broke that almost as hard as Rain broke his fakey pumpkin. Well, not my problem. Rain took one of Marnie's hands and I somewhat reluctantly took the other, and the four of us headed over to the prize counter to pick out something nice for my Aunt. All's well that ends well, or whatever it is they say.


	18. City Lights

**Rain's P.O.V.**

To be honest, I didn't get much sleep that night. Or for a few nights afterwards. Pierre might have confirmed all of our worst fears at the Valley Fair, but… This was Pelican Town. Everyone knew each other. A tight knit community. This wasn't something you could just bounce back from. There was a certain unspoken trust between everyone in town, and even if we didn't always get on, that was the standard to stick to. And Pierre… he shattered that standard. So no, I didn't feel sorry for him, but I couldn't help feeling a little responsible.

Watering the crops, pulling the harvest, feeding Lyra - all morning, no matter what I was doing the only image in my mind was the shattered remains of Pierre's grange display on the pavement, each and every time followed by a gut wrench. Really, though, it was stupid of me to feel bad, wasn't it? It was kinda… justice, wasn't it? Is it okay for me to think like that?

 

That mental conflict went on for days. I had purple lines under my eyes, my hair was reminiscent of a bird's nest and my face looked glum no matter what I tried to do. And, a certain someone pulled no punches in letting me know it.

"Jeez, you look awful." his cynical voice said factually as soon as I walked through Marnie's front door.

"Good morning to you too, Shane," I replied sarcastically. "How's Marnie doing?" sure enough, she won her ribbon in the end, but that didn't mean I forgot the hurt in her eyes when she looked at Pierre. They were good friends, but now?

"She's been keepin' busy, mostly," Shane sighed, hands in his pockets. "I think she's bothered by what's happened but hell if she'd admit it."

"Oh… Where is she?"

"I think she went out to town to pretend to be too busy to talk about her problems."

"Hmm… Maybe I'll see her on my way up the mountain." I headed toward the door.

"Well, if you do, try and talk some sense into her." he rolled his eyes. "She's barely been sleeping and won't talk to anyone properly."

"Oh, you don't say…" _I know that feeling…_ "I'll talk to her if I see her. See you later!"

"Later."

I headed out to town where, sure enough, I could just see a brown tuft of Marnie's hair from over the top of Lewis' picket fence. Upon closer inspection she was planting sunflowers in the mayor's garden. "Hey, Marnie!" I hurried over to her.

"Oh, good morning, Mira!" She didn't even look up. "Lovely day, isn't it?"

"Uh… Yeah… Listen, I was wondering if you had a second to talk-"

"Oh! Do you hear that? Sounds like the kettle's boiled!" She scurried into Lewis' house with a newfound urgency. "See you later, Mira, dear!"

"Uh… bye then…" she left me standing perplexed. _What now… Oh!_ I reached into my pocket and pulled out the packet of cigarettes that Sebastian left at the fair. Returning it to him was the entire reason that I left the house in the first place. I figured it'd probably be pretty difficult to get hold of cigarettes in the Valley, so he was probably missing them. I started to head toward the mountain. _Hopefully he's around._ Walking past the abandoned community centre, I finally reached the top of the hill where Robin's house stood. Uncharacteristically, all of the lights appeared to be off. There was no sound coming from inside, either. I knocked on the door - no answer. "Hello?" I called, a little confused. "Robin? Maru?" Still nothing. I slowly turned to walk away when I heard the garage door rattle open. "Mira? That you?"

"Seb?" I walked over to the garage and, sure enough, it was Sebastian. His face was covered in oil and a beautifully polished black Yamaha motorbike was standing in front of him.

"Hey." He wiped his face with a cloth. "If you're looking for my mom, she's in the Saloon."

"Wha- already?!"

"Yeah," he sighed, "Mom, Maru and Demetrius are all going on holiday next week. They won't be here for Spirit's Eve. Guess they're having one last night of fun before she goes into full Momzilla control freak mode about it all."

"I see…" I giggled, rubbing the back of my head. "But, actually, I was here to return these." I held out the packet of cigarettes.

"Oh, my smokes… I've been looking for these." He reached for the packet and his hand met mine. "...You got anywhere to be?"

"Oh? Um… No, not really." My voice was a little shaky. Sebastian averted his eyes thoughtfully as he slipped the cigarettes into his pocket.

"You wanna… Go for a ride with me?" He placed that same hand on his motorbike. "There's room for two."

"W-what, really?" I was surprised - I'd never been on a motorbike before. The thought of it honestly scared me a bit, and apparently that showed on my face.

"Don't sweat it," he laughed quietly, "I've got a spare helmet."

"Well…" I thought about it. I trusted Seb not to get me into any danger, so… "Okay! Sure!"

"Right." He handed me a blue helmet and slipped a black helmet over his head flawlessly before getting onto the bike. "Hop on."

"O-oh, yeah." I clipped the helmet onto my head and, struggling to get my short legs over the seat, clambered onto the bike behind Sebastian. He started the engine and the bike hummed to life.

"Hold on tight."

"Huh?" I didn't see any handles, or a seat belt. "To what?" Sebastian looked back at me like I'd just said something ridiculous.

"To me."

"Oh… Oh, r-right…" _Jeez, what is wrong with me today…?!_ Hesitantly I wrapped my arms around Sebastian's torso, his baggy hoodie clinging to his body as my arms pressed into him, and his scent filled my lungs. Wordlessly we rode out beside the train tracks, the wind racing past us. What a liberating feeling it was, too - to be moving so fast that no one can catch up to you. I was finally beginning to understand him.

 

We rode over lush grasslands, dry desert areas, and finally we hit real, solid ground up high on a cliff. Sebastian slowed the bike to a halt and dismounted, helping me to do the same. He pulled his helmet off, his fringe flopping back down over his left eye. He then turned toward the end of the cliff and we walked to the very edge, staring into the distance. The city. Skyscrapers were just visible, the now purple-pink evening sky glimmering against their luminescent windows. "I like to come here sometimes, just to think." He finally cut through the silence. "I dream about life in the city a lot."

"You… Do?" The city… Huh… I felt a little harrowed. City life always felt so meaningless to me, as if I was just another faceless brick in the wall.

"Yeah." He lit a cigarette and put it into his mouth. "...I feel like there's so much opportunity waiting for me over there. Dreams. Aspirations."

"Aspirations…" My mind couldn't help flicking back to what Shane told me. About his best friend. About his lover. His aspirations, his happy life… How it all fell to pieces. My stomach churned.

"Hey, Mira…" The faint glow of the city reflected in Sebastian's eyes. "When you look at the city… How do you feel?"

"I…?" How did I feel? Honestly, looking at the city just made me feel awful. My former life, Shane's happiness… The city took things away from us both. Things we could never get back. To me, it wasn't a place of dreams, but… Sebastian looked so hopeful. A hope shone in his eyes that he'd never find in the Valley. "I feel… Kind of sad." Sebastian turned his head to look at me, and I exhaled. "...Looking at it gives me kind of a strange, sad feeling."

"...Yeah." He smiled sweetly. Genuinely. "I think I know what you mean. I feel like there's so much waiting for me over there, just out of reach. It makes me a little sad, too."

"Y-yeah…" That's… Not what I meant at all. But listening to Sebastian talk about his dreams made me feel strangely warm inside.

"I'd like to move out there soon, actually… But… I don't want to go alone." He turned his body to face me, and drew in close. "Do you know what I'm saying… Mira…?"

"I- I…" My voice got stuck in my throat as Sebastian caressed my cheek with his hand.

"Mira…" His eyes drew me in as he cupped my face in his hands, our chests touching, my body trembling. His nose touched mine as he came closer, and I closed my eyes.

 

…

 

The ride back to Pelican Town was a silent one. Other than the hum of the engine, of course. The wind had settled down and the tranquil night sky arched over us in an amethyst swirling paragon. Crickets quietly chirped in the fields as we approached the end of the train tracks and descended back down to the house. We slowed down and I carefully climbed off of the bike, removing my helmet and staring at the lines in the dirt where we'd driven through the mountain. "...I'm sorry, Sebastian." I whispered. He didn't say a word. He just continued to wheel his bike into the garage. The atmosphere between us was so heavy I probably could've cut it with my sickle.

Up on the cliff, as he drew in to kiss me, I pulled away at the last moment. I couldn't. It's not like I didn't want to, I… I guess… But something held me back. Something stopped me. Something… Pulled me away from that possibility. For some reason it just didn't feel right.

Sebastian took his helmet off and placed it in the garage before quietly closing the garage door. He leant against the outside wall of his house and lit a cigarette, staring into the distance silently.

"Well… It's getting dark. I'd better get going." I managed to say at last.

"Okay."

"Okay…" I started to walk away, feeling awkward every time a twig snapped beneath my feet. I needed to just go home and lie down, straighten out my thoughts. First Marnie, and now this - everything was going crazy.

"Wait." His deep, smooth voice succinctly cut through the air. I turned around, but still he didn't look up at me. He spoke softly, almost silently. "Mira… Is there someone else?"

"Huh…?" That's when it hit me. Up on the cliff, as I stared out at the city… And then when Sebastian wanted to kiss me… When I closed my eyes, all I could see was _his_ face. Oh, god, slow down. Seriously? Is that what's…? I was confused, but for once, finally, I was so, so, sure. It was true. For the longest time I didn't even realise it myself, but it was real.

"Yes… There is."


	19. Maze of Her Mind

“Okay… Here… we… GO!” I yelled as I hauled what would probably be my final shipment of pumpkins for the season into the box. “Whew…” I wiped my brow. Three seasons living on a farm and my physical strength had improved immensely! _Imagine how much I could carry if I was taller…_ I mused. I’d been working hard those past few days to prepare for the end of Fall, but really, I was trying to keep myself busy. Because every time I stopped working for long enough to think…

_“Is there someone else?”_

Ah, there it was again. The butterflies punching me in the gut. Crippled, I sat on the ground. I hadn’t really been out into the town since that night with Sebastian - I wasn’t sure I was ready for how much things were about to change. _Me and Seb will never be the same again now…_ I brushed my hair behind my ear, heading back into my house to take my dirty overalls off. I had no idea he even felt that way. I didn’t notice. Maybe I was stupid not to notice. Did he think I’d been leading him on? I needed to talk to him. I needed to find the words to make things right between us… But there was no way for me to do that honestly until I’d figured something else out first. Or rather, _someone_ else.

Shane.

The damn butterflies again. My cheeks heated up and my throat turned into a desert just at the thought of trying to talk to him about it. When did this even happen? Was I _really_ that clueless? How long had I felt that way? I had so many unanswered questions - I was so unsure of everything. “Ugh…” I flopped down onto my bed and covered my eyes with my arms. My head was spinning. _Do I really… Love him?_ I hadn’t even seen him since I started thinking that, so how would I really know for sure until I saw him face to face? _There’s no point in making a plan of action if I’m not even sure._ I lifted my arms from my face. The pearly moon was just visible atop the dusky clouds through my window. It was the day of the Spirit’s Eve festival, and it looked to be about that time. “Guess it’s time to go…” I murmured to myself. I fastened my shoes, opened the door and took a deep breath. It was time to figure things out. Time to see it through.

The path from the farm into town seemed much longer than any time before. My every exhale trembled against the flutter of my stomach. And then, as I approached the clearing into Pelican Town, one fleeting thought pierced my mind, and my stomach dropped out of my body. My feet stopped moving. _What if I really do love him… And he doesn’t feel the same?_ Suddenly it was much harder to take that final step into the festival. The fear of rejection - no, the fear of ruining absolutely everything wouldn’t let me go any further. I started to reverse, ever so slowly. _Maybe I should give this one a miss…_   
“No.” I heard my own voice. My fists were clenched. If I didn’t see things through that night, what then? Avoid Shane for the rest of my life because I’m scared to feel for him? It just wasn’t an option. I had to go. That thought propelling me forward, I crossed the threshold into town.

Needless to say, everything was spookified. Jack-o-lanterns were littered around, a big cage full of what I guessed were probably robotic skeletons was in front of the clinic, and there were four large buffet tables featuring orange table cloths and pumpkin infused dishes. Notably, my former “friends” weren’t anywhere to be seen… Guess they thought they were ‘too cool’ for spooky festivals. Not that it was an issue for me. If anything, a night of not feeling daggers in my back sounded ideal - especially with what I went there to find out. _Speaking of which…_ Slowing my breathing, I approached the leftmost buffet table where, predictably, Shane was nursing a bottle of alcohol. Hearing my footsteps he turned to me, and I held my breath. I’ve looked into those eyes so many times before but tonight, for the first time, they were brilliant smoky quartz and deep, rich honey all at once. _Oh god. Keep it together, Mirabelle._ He held a bottle out to me in his spare hand, the orange liquid inside sloshing as he did so. “Pumpkin ale. Want one?” Even his normal, nonchalant tone was enchanting, his husky voice going through every bone in my body.  
“Oh… Sure!” I took the bottle from him carefully, too self conscious to touch his hand. _I’m gonna need this to get through tonight…_ I broke the seal on the twisty cap and glugged half of the sweet, cinnamon-edged liquid in one go.  
“You alright?” He raised an eyebrow. “You’re drinking that pretty fast. Not that I’m one to comment.”  
“Oh, y-yeah!” I tried to laugh it off. _I’m being way too obvious…_ I glanced around the town square for something to change the subject to, and caught sight of Marnie tucking into a slice of pumpkin pie. “Er… How’s Marnie doing?”  
“Better,” he took a sip of his ale, “She had a bit of a rant about Pierre the other night and she seems a lot better for it.”  
“Ah, I’m glad…” I still couldn’t bring myself to look at him. I stared up at the hill, where rows upon rows of square hedges stood. “A haunted maze…?” My eyes widened. It was way too hard to just talk to Shane without something else going on - a spooky maze could be perfect. “Can we go?”  
“Ugh… Seriously?”  
“Aw, come on~” I chirped, trying to simulate my usual attitude when I’m not totally self conscious. “It’ll be fun!”  
“Haaah… Fine.” Shane sighed with a small smile. That sweet, charming, stubble-ridden smile that I’d been taking for granted until now. _I’m staring, aren’t I? I need to stop staring…_ I walked toward the maze, hoping the cover of night would hide my red cheeks.

The maze wasn’t a total disaster, I suppose. It would’ve been far too dark to see anything, save for the little blue wisps atop the hedges casting an eerie glow. It was pretty embarrassing to turn the first corner and jump out of my skin when I saw zombified hands sticking out of the ground. “KYAAAAHHH!”  
“Rain… They’re plastic.” Shane’s narrowed eyes said it all.  
“Oh, of… Of course… Heh.” _I am an embarrassment to the species._  
Justice was swift, though. A little ways into the maze was an old television, its screen flickering with static. Shane, the poor fool, let his curiosity get the better of him and as he drew in close to the screen, an unsightly green creature with rotting skin flashed onto the screen with a shriek. “GYAAAHHH!” He fell down backwards, and I erupted with laughter.  
“Come on, anyone who’s ever been on the internet would’ve seen that coming,” I choked out between fits of laughter.  
“Pfft…” He tried to regain his cool demeanor, which didn’t really work with his flushed cheeks. I started giggling again, and offered him a hand. He took it, and the touch felt… Electric. His hand was so warm as I pulled him off of the ground. He wordlessly averted his gaze and we continued walking through the maze… It was only then that I realised - he never let go of my hand. Holding it just felt so… so _natural_ that I didn’t even notice. Heart racing, I stole a glimpse at his face. I couldn’t read his expression. What was he thinking? Is this okay? Should I let go? Would it be weird if I suddenly let go now? So many questions were whirring through my mind… Not only that, but as we walked and the alcohol seeped into my bloodstream I had to stop myself from letting the image of his topless torso after he fell into my pond enter my mind. _Jeez, stop it, Mirabelle… Don’t be so shameless!_

Next to the fountain stood some giant plastic spiders. “Aw… They’re kinda cute!” I laughed. I guess that wasn’t the maze creator’s desired reaction, though. Just then, an ominous humming noise crept into my ears, growing louder. Shane’s hand tensed around mine. “What is that…?” We followed the direction of the sound. At a dead end stood a wooden sign post with a red arrow painted on it, pointing toward the hedge next to it.  
“Great. What now?” Shane sighed. “Do we go back?”  
“I dunno…” I pondered. “What if there’s some sort of final boss waiting for us on the other side of this hedge? Like a… A vampire?”  
“A vampire.” Shane’s brow furrowed. “You don’t really believe in that paranormal garbage, do you?”  
“Hmm…” I laughed, “I’m not sure. One time on my way down the mountain, I saw an apple with arms and legs just outside the community centre. Maybe it was a spirit.”  
“Really? A sentient apple spirit?” Shane chuckled. His smile seemed to illuminate the maze.  
“Well… Yeah! You never know!” I puffed my cheeks jokingly. “Don’t you believe in anything like that?”  
“Nah, not really,” he laughed quietly. “I’ve never seen anything that couldn’t be explained by science.”  
“Pfft, boring,” I rolled my eyes playfully.  
“Realistic.” He retorted. “Anyway, there has to be a way through here…” He pushed the leaves where the arrow was pointing and, sure enough, they were thin enough for someone to walk through. We smiled at each other and advanced. A small cave opening was visible ahead. Shane appraised the structure of the walls with a knock. “...You sure we should go this way?”  
“Why? You scared?”  
“O-of course not.” Shane huffed, pulling ahead. “Come on.”

The mine shaft was narrow and crumbly, and I couldn’t see a thing. I tripped more times than I could count. Finally, the dull blue glow returned as the opening came into sight. Shane was covered in dirt and, sure enough, so was I. In front of us was a red chest embossed with gold. Wordlessly, we worked together to lift the heavy lid and inside was…   
“A pumpkin?” I tilted my head to one side as Shane lifted the squash out of the chest.  
“Wait. Look.” The pumpkin caught the flickers of light and shone brilliantly. “It’s golden.”  
“Wow…” My eyes lit up. “Er… What should we do with it?”  
“I dunno. It’s shiny, so… Maybe Jas would like it.”

…

“Wooooow!” And she did. “Thanks, Mira! Thanks, cousin Shane!”  
“No problem!” I smiled, trying not to wonder too much what she was going to do with a vegetable pretty much the same size as her.  
“Where did you even find such a thing?” Marnie said, eyes full of wonder.  
“It was the prize in the maze, or something,” Shane mumbled, trying not to let on that he actually enjoyed the maze. “We figured Jas would like it more.”  
“Well, how lovely!” She clasped her hands together and grinned before turning to Jas. “Jas, dear, it’s past your bedtime. Time to go home.”  
“Aww…” She sulked, but relented with a yawn. We waved them off as they carried the enormous glimmering pumpkin between them. As Shane’s soft eyes watched the two of them fade out of sight, I realised the night had been a success. I was sure - the man in front of me made me feel things I’d never felt before. I was in love with him. I was willing to take the risk of telling him that. I had to let him know. _Deep breath. In, out. I can do this._  
“Sh-Shane.”  
“Yeah?” He turned to me, unfazed, same as ever.  
“Uh… Erm…” My voice got stuck in my throat. I… was still a little tipsy. No shame in taking a raincheck, right? “Look, um. This might sound… Weird… Uh…”  
“It’s fine.” He nodded. “Go ahead.”  
“Can… I meet you tomorrow morning? Before work? There’s something I wanted to talk about. With you.”  
“Oh… Sure.” His eyes glimmered with curiosity. “We could… Meet at the fountain at 7? If that isn’t too early?”  
“That’s fine for me.” I smiled, trying not to let my lip do a nervous twitch.  
“Great.” He smiled. “Want me to walk you home?”  
“I-I… Uh…” My cheeks went red at the thought of being alone with him like this. “I’m… Just gonna go check out the skeletons one last time. You go on ahead, though.”  
“...If you’re sure. Good night, Rain.”  
“Night!” I waved.

 

** Haley’s P.O.V. **

She waved him off like an overly excited puppy. Cute? Gross. Whatever. It was time to put an end to this. “You hear that?” I turned to the gloomy weirdo next to me. “Tomorrow morning. She’s totally gonna confess. You know what you have to do, right?”  
No response. Leah watched as Sebastian just glared at the drunken loser skulking back into the forest. I turned around to face Sebastian and put my hands on my hips. “Look. You’ve, like, totally been stalking her all night. Remember what we talked about? It’s now or never.”  
“...Don’t have to tell me twice.” He spoke at last.  
“Good,” I grinned. “Get it done.” And off he went. Leah and I watched as Sebastian approached Mira. She seemed startled at first, but soon warmed up with her usual over the top smile. Then, the two of them walked away together toward the mountain. Perfect. I turned to Leah, whose face was tense. I flicked my hair over my shoulder. “You’d better not be having second thoughts.”  
“I’m not.” She said shortly, arms crossed. “I’m not sure I agree with your methods, Haley. But I agree that we need to intervene. So I’ll do it.”  
“Good. Then go home. You’ve got a phone call to make.”


	20. Torn Away

** Mira’s P.O.V. **

The sounds of the chirping crickets grew quieter as we wordlessly ascended the mountain, the faint glow of the Spirit’s Eve festival fading out of view. Sebastian invited me to his house, telling me there was something he wanted to show me. Maybe he wanted to talk about what happened the other night… I gulped quietly, wondering what he might have to say. But, this was a good thing. I wanted to make things right with him as soon as I knew how I felt about Shane, and right on cue, the opportunity presented itself on a silver platter. Things couldn’t have been more straightforward - I just had to make the most of it.

I followed Sebastian through his front door. All the lights were off - maybe everyone was in bed. I tried to keep my footsteps as light as possible as we descended into his basement bedroom. He allowed me to walk past him into the room, and he closed the door behind us. The room was dull, the only light coming from his two computer screens, the whirring of the computer’s fans the only sound. “So um… What was it you wanted to show me?” I asked, turning back to face him. But he didn’t respond. A dark expression was clouding his face and suddenly dread erupted within me. “Why are you looking at me like that?”  
“Because you’re not going home tonight.” He spoke succinctly, wasting no time, yet every syllable was dripping with venom. This wasn’t the Sebastian I knew and trusted. My breath was shaky. “What… Do you mean?”  
I regretted even opening my mouth. His hands firmly gripped my shoulders, his voice now a fierce shout. “Why would you choose _him_ over _me_?!”  
“Wh-what?”  
“You know what I’m talking about! Don’t even _try_ to play dumb!” The hate in his voice stung me to my core. I knew exactly what he was talking about… Me and Shane. My legs were rooted to the floor. I wanted to answer him but… The words just weren’t there. “I… Seb, I…”  
“Mira, please…” His voice was quiet now, edged with agony. “Run away with me. To the city. Tonight. We can do this… I can make you happy…” His desperate eyes captivated mine as he caressed my cheek. “We can be happy together… Far away from here.”  
“I…” This was all so sudden. One minute I was at the Spirit’s Eve festival and now this? Why? I gently pulled his hand away from my face, my vision starting to blur with tears. “I… I can’t do that.”  
“...Why not?”  
“I… Well…”  
“What reason could you _possibly_ have?!”  
“I-I…”  
“Answer me… Tell me why!”  
“I'm in love with _Shane_!” The scream leaves my mouth before I even have time to process it, tears furiously rolling down my face onto the floor. The silence that followed was suffocating, every second dripping with tar. That look in his eyes as he denied me eye contact - pained but unsurprised - gave me hope of getting away, albeit short lived.  
“Why…?”  
“B-because…” Adrenaline was still pumping. I couldn’t stop myself from talking… I had to make him understand. “Because we’re good for each other. I think he b-brings out the best in me…”  
“You’re wrong.”  
“No, I--”  
“ _You’re wrong!_ ” He slammed the wall with his fist. I jumped out of my skin. “He brings out the _worst_ in you. The way you yelled at everyone on Elliott’s birthday? What you did to Pierre’s display? How can you think he’s made you anything but cruel?!”  
“I…” Finally, I had no words left to say. He was wrong. My so called friends bullied me on Elliott’s birthday. And Pierre was lying all along. He was wrong in so many ways, but… The sentences just muddled in my head and never made it out of my mouth.  
“...You’re sick. He’s a sickness.” His tone was almost robotic now. He stared in my direction, but not at me - through me, as if I wasn’t even worth looking at anymore. “I have to get you away from him. I have to take you with me to the city.” Drowning in his words I stared at the handle of his bedroom door and before I knew it, my feet were running toward it. If I could just get past him I could run to freedom, or at least shout for help. Sebastian turned to me with a cold look in his eyes and pushed me down to the floor, almost unrecognisable as the man I thought was my friend. My heart trembled in a panic, my breath short and fast. “I’m not going _anywhere_ with you!” I gathered my breath and shouted at the top of my lungs. “Maru! Robin! HELP ME!”  
“They aren’t here.” A dark expression had taken over once again. “Remember? They won’t be back for a few more days.” The shock hit me in the stomach like a ton of bricks. I’d forgotten all about them being on holiday… There was no one around to help me. I wanted to run. I wanted to fight, scratch, scream, but my whole body was frozen. Sebastian walked toward the door. “I can’t let you leave until you reconsider my offer.” Without another word, he swiftly opened the door, passed to the other side and slammed it. I heard it lock from the other side… I was trapped. The small room felt like a prison, the walls seemingly closing in on me as I curled into a ball, floods of tears stinging my eyes whilst I screamed in despair and confusion.

 

** Shane’s P.O.V. **

Trying to neaten my hair in the bathroom mirror for the umpteenth time, I decided it was probably about time to leave the house. Heck, I even tried ironing my uniform for once. Why? Because this wasn’t just any work morning… I was seeing Rain on the way to work. She wanted to talk to me… Alone. I mean, it probably wasn’t what I was hoping, but the thought of it still made me nervous. It was 6:45… Time to leave. I tiptoed past Marnie’s room and headed out of the door. The sun blinded me slightly as it did every morning, but I didn’t mind it for once. I felt good. The thought of seeing Rain made getting up that morning so much easier. My back felt straighter, my steps felt lighter, and the walk through town wasn’t as tiring as it usually was. I made my way up the steps to the fountain. I rarely went up there, but it was nice enough. The sun reflected off the water in a pretty way. But… no one else was there. By my watch it was 7am… Maybe she was going to leave her farm at 7am since it was only a short walk. My shift started at 8. I had time to wait. I sat down on the edge of the fountain and listened to the sound of the birds tweeting. It was quite nice to be out in the crisp morning air on my own terms.  
7:15 came and went. Still no sign of her. Oh well… Maybe she was just running a little late. It happens. I could probably still afford to wait a little longer, though I’d have to hurry to work after we’d spoken. But that’s okay, I thought. I didn’t mind waiting for her. The town was kinda nice when it was quiet. No one was really around in the mornings, so it was nice to just take it all in.

7:30. Christ, where was she? I really had to get going to work soon. Maybe she’d overslept? _I could just head down to the farm and see if everything’s okay…_ As soon as that thought crossed my mind, two clicking heels walking up the steps broke the silence and I breathed a sigh of relief.  
“Jeez, what took you so--” But face to face with me wasn’t Rain. It was that bimbo, Haley, wearing that usual fake lip glossed smile.  
“What? Not who you were expecting?” she extended her words almost patronisingly. Apparently my face said it all. I didn’t respond. “So, like, who are you waiting for?” Again, I didn’t reply. She put one hand on her hip. “Oh, come on. No need to be such a priss.”  
“Rain.”  
“What?”  
“...Mirabelle.” I said in a quiet grunt. Haley laughed almost menacingly. “Oh, you are? You’re waiting for Mira? I hate to like, break it to you, but she’s not coming.”  
“What…?” I narrowed my eyes at her. What the hell was she up to now?  
“I get it. You totally don’t believe me. But trust me, you could wait there all day and she won’t show up.” Her tone was acidic. She appraised her nails, sticking her lips out ever so slightly. “She left town with Sebastian last night. Probably wanted to meet you to, like, say goodbye. Guess she decided it wasn’t worth the effort in the end.”  
“Wha…” I sighed to myself. She was lying. She had to be. Rain wouldn’t just disappear like that… Would she…?   
“Oh, but don’t worry~” she smiled a disgustingly large grin, looking down at me. “There’s someone else here who wants to see you.” Her fake eyelash clad eyes glanced over to the steps as she clicked her fingers obnoxiously. Another pair of feet started tapping against the stairs, coming closer. I turned to the sound, and I couldn’t move. My breath caught in my throat - I felt like a cricket bat had smacked me on the back. The blonde bombshell walked toward me, sapphire blue eyes dazzling like gems in the sunlight, her tall, curvy figure coming into view. And finally, she stopped in front of me. There was no mistaking it. It was her.  
“A-Amelie…” Her name left my lips before my brain even had time to catch up with the situation. Amelie. The woman to whom I gave my heart. The one who broke my heart, who made sure I’d never be able to trust enough to give its pieces to another. Why was she here…? I subconsciously shook my head in disbelief. She couldn’t be here. She couldn’t be stood in front of me so… So casually.  
“Hi, baby,” she said softly, confidently, “I’ve been wanting to see you for so long.” She was lying… There was no way she wasn’t. She crushed my heart into dust and here she was, all lovey dovey like nothing ever happened? It was the only logical explanation… But logic had no hold over me just then. Her face like an angel, smiling so sweetly… She came back for me? Butterflies began to flutter in my stomach. She still loved me? “I’ve missed you, Shane.”  
“I… I…” My lower jaw kept moving but no words would form. No words could even begin to explain what I was feeling.  
“It’s okay, sweetie,” she caressed my cheek with her hand. Those soft, beautiful hands. “I’ve come back for you. Won’t you come with me?”  
“Wh-where…?”  
“Anywhere you want,” she giggled blissfully. “We can travel the world together. We can see things we’ve never seen before… Just you and me.”  
“We… We can?” My voice was breathy. I could hear it. But I didn’t care. My eyes were firmly fixated on the goddess’ face before me.  
“Of course we can,” she tilted her head to one side sweetly, drawing ever closer to me. “So? Will you come with me?”  
“I…” In that moment, reasoning didn’t occur to me. Explanation of how she found me, how she could possibly be with me, didn’t matter at all. She was a serene tidal wave and in that moment I was swept away within her. And one moment was enough to consume me in the all too familiar feeling of loving her again entirely. “I will.” As soon as I breathed those words she wrapped her arms around me and rested her head on my shoulder. I closed my eyes and took her in… Her soft skin, her sweet scent. Her lips drew close to my ear. “Then let’s go. And you can leave that other silly girl behind.”  
“What?” I pulled back from her and instantly I remembered where I was. Who I was. And who _she_ was - well, both of them. Rain… The woman I fell head over heels for. The loyal, sweet, and compassionate farmer. And Amelie. I finally realised what this was all about. She didn’t want me back, nor did she love me… But the thought of me moving on and being happy with another woman riled her to her core. I understood, finally. It was all a ruse. Haley. Amelie. They were conspiring. They all wanted us apart. “...No. I’m not going anywhere with you.”  
“Oh come _on_ , Shane,” her voice was brash and loud now just as her angelic face contorted into the bitter, toxic woman she really was. “Aren’t you a bit old to be playing at puppy love?” She laughed, a shrill, condescending laugh, and one I knew all too well. How on earth did I fall for her spell again? She was evil. Heartless. “No woman could ever _really_ want you. You know I’m the only one who did. That’s why your little crush left you in the dust.”  
“...Get the hell out of my way.” I pushed her off of me, and her face shifted from arrogance to shock and down into anger.  
“So, what, you’re not coming with me? After everything we’ve been through?!” _After everything? Like you cheating? Like you betraying me?_ I was done here. I felt like shit and I couldn’t take anymore. “Shane!” She screamed after me, but I kept walking. “I-I’m never coming back!” Her tone was desperately enraged now, like every other time she didn’t get what she wanted. “And no woman will _ever_ love you! You’ll die alone, Shane, and I hope it hurts!” her voice trailed off as I gained distance between us. That… Was a shock to the system I didn’t need. I felt physically sick - my whole body felt heavy as I walked. I never wanted to see her again. I could’ve shaken that off, just maybe, but… “Rain…” I mumbled to myself. She never showed up… Was she really gone? The thought of it tore me up inside. Was I really destined to be alone? Because I didn’t think I’d be able to trust again if she really was gone. _No, it’s okay… It’s fine._ I shook my head as I crossed the bridge. _I just have to get through the work day. Then I can figure things out. I’ll go to the farm. I’ll see her. She isn’t gone… She… Can’t be._

Before I knew it, I was through the doors of Joja. And just as suddenly, Morris was uncomfortably close to me, his face beet red and his brow so furrowed it’d take an iron to straighten it out. “Shane! What on earth do you think you’re doing?! You are _twenty minutes_ late! This is not acceptable!”  
“Yeah. Sorry.” I started to walk past him toward the staff room but he intercepted me again. “I’m docking your wages. Maybe then you’ll learn a thing or two about respect!” His saliva showered onto my face as he spoke. I clenched my fists. I couldn’t deal with this. It was all too much.  
“Are you listening to me?!” His shriek was the final straw. Almost instinctively I raised my fist and hit him in the nose as hard as I could. With a small yelp, Morris hit the floor like a sack of potatoes. I wasn’t… Okay. And maybe I never really would be. I stormed out of Joja, grabbing a six pack of beer from one of the nearby shelves on my way out. I was done. I’d had enough. And I knew exactly where I was going next.


	21. One Final Push

** Mira’s P.O.V. **

The quiet hum of Sebastian’s computer had long since faded into my subconscious. The lack of sound was crippling. As I lay there, my eyes were fixed on the bottom of the door. The barrier keeping me here. Throughout the night I’d tried to escape. Pleading with no response, trying to send an SOS on the computer to realise he’d switched off the internet, throwing my entire body weight at the door only to find it had been barricaded, screaming at the top of my lungs… Until finally, I’d collapsed into the heap I now found myself in, drained of stamina and hope. He’d left me alone to ruminate all night. All night I was alone, racked with anxiety, confused, and without means to escape. I felt like I was losing my mind, the walls creeping toward me, boxing me in. All I could do was ask myself, “Why?” and I had no answer at all. None of this made any sense. How long had it been? I had no idea. And I didn’t care. Time dragged on and distorted, collapsing into one unimaginably long stretch of suffering. I no longer had the will to move, to shout, to cry - hopelessness ate me up from the inside because I knew I could do nothing about the hell I’d wound up in.

That was, until I heard that sound.

The rough sound of furniture being scraped across a floor was audible from the other side of the locked door, shattering the silence. The barricade was being torn down. Did Robin come home? Was I saved? The door unlocked with a click and began to open as I mustered the energy to sit up and greet my saviour, heart fit to burst, only to see that black fringe again and instantly recoil into myself. Was he here to torment me? Was he going to force me to run away to the city, kicking and screaming? I held my breath, body shaking as his footsteps entered the room. Every muscle tensed, my eyes squeezed shut, bracing for whatever was to come.

But nothing came.

Cautiously, fearfully, I lowered my arms from my face and opened my eyes to see… Sebastian.

Well, of course, I knew it was him. But this time, it was really _him_. It wasn’t the empty faced villain who remorselessly trapped me in his room last night. I could see it… The soft light in his eyes. The guilt on his stiffened face as his trembling lips parted. “I… I can’t…” his breathing was ragged, like he was being held at gunpoint. Almost as if the tables had turned. “I can’t do this… Not to you.”  
 _What?_ Was this some kind of a trick? He shouts me down, throws me in here, locks me up and then comes back all teary-eyed? My mind was spinning. I couldn’t make sense of it. Guarded, I stumbled to my feet with the aid of the RPG table next to me, and carefully appraised Sebastian’s infantile expression before speaking. “What… Why would you do this to me?” my voice was croaky, stuck in my throat like a ball of toffee but much less sweet. I doubt I could have mustered much more.  
“...To get you away from him for good.”  
“Away from…?” Oh shit. Shane. I was supposed to be meeting him…! _What time is it?! Oh no… No no no…_ A sudden burst of adrenalin rushed through me and I found myself facing off against Sebastian, my blood boiling. “What did you do to him?!”  
“I-it wasn’t my idea!” he shook his hands in the air in front of him like a child accused of passing notes. “H-Haley said I could convince you… to love me…” his voice trailed off into silence. “To… to run away with me for good.”  
His vague answers snap against my temper and I ball his shirt up in my fist. “What did you _do to him_ , Sebastian?!”  
“W-we…” Obviously taken aback by my sudden outburst, his eyes filled with tears. “L-Leah called his ex into town… To convince him to leave… A-and you and me were gonna get out of here together and… I…”  
“Wh-what…?!” This was all a ruse… To separate us…?! _What kind of a sick joke is this?!_  
“Mira, you… You have to understand! I did this because I love--”  
 _Not another word._ I shoved Sebastian away from me with all my might, sending him crashing into the desk behind him, and ran up the stairs without sparing a second thought. Breath barely made it through my closed up throat but my feet weren’t about to stop for anything. I burst through the front door into the blinding light of the sun, the chilly air freeing my joints from stagnation. _So it’s morning already… Maybe he’s still waiting. Maybe I can still make it._ Filled with a new spark of determination, I sprinted down the mountain as fast as my legs would carry me. Maybe I didn’t need to run anymore, but I had to be sure. Nothing would get between us - I was about to make sure of that. The wind whizzing past my ears, my hair fluttering in the wind - racing against time had never felt so liberating. Questions about what the hell was going on could wait until I’d seen Shane. I was going to make it. I had to. Without even slowing down I turned the corner past the community centre and the fountain was in view. I’d made it. I collapsed, skidding on my knees across the gravel, halting just in front of the fountain. “I… I’m here now… I’m here…” Yes… I was there. I raised my head, my eyes flitting back and forth with growing desperation. “I… I’m h-here…” My eyes teared up as I clambered to my feet from my now bloodied, gravel encrusted knees. I was alone. No one was around. I kept looking around, holding onto a shard of hope that I’d see that tatty blue hoodie from the corner of my eye, but it never happened. I was too late.

I stumbled down to the town square. I had to find him. I _had_ to. Just then, I doubled over in pain. Right in that moment, it all hit me. The hunger from not having eaten all night. The fatigue from staying awake. The exhaustion from running in this condition and the pain in my knees. I could barely think straight. I was panicking but I had to focus. Where would he be? Did they find him? Did he… Did he leave?

_No, no, NO! I refuse to believe he’d just take off!_ I had to ride on a bet. The bet that he was still around. That he wouldn’t just leave me. But where would he have gone after I didn’t show? Marnie’s ranch? Joja? What was he thinking right now? I didn’t have time for this… Something creeped up from my stomach, invading my mind, telling me that Shane was in danger. Wherever he was, I had to find him. That decision of where to look first was crucial - I had to get it right. That was the feeling I had. But where…? I clutched onto a nearby lamp post, biting down on my bottom lip to endure the pain. Just then, as I raised my head, the sun glinted off of a small metallic object in the distance. A beacon of light that drew me in. I limped toward it, and before long I realised it was an empty beer can. A shock ran up my spine - this was a sign. Shane. It had to be. I was stupid… I know. Anyone could have thrown that can there but I had to believe in it. In that moment I had to cling to that hope. If I didn’t… I don’t think I would have made it off of that square. I would’ve just collapsed. Approaching the can, I saw another. And another. As if they’d been thrown in a breadcrumb trail. As if he’d thrown them whilst walking… Towards…

Before my brain even registered, my feet were carrying me toward the beach. It felt surreal. I was freezing cold. Absolutely starving. In a world of physical and mental pain, exhausted beyond belief. But none of that mattered. All of it evacuated my mind the moment I stepped onto the sand and saw that blue hoodie at the end of the pier. My mind was radio silence. I didn’t need to think. I just needed to run. One final push.

 

** Shane’s P.O.V. **

The choppy azure waves seemed to watch me as I knocked back the rest of my last can, my scuffed shoes digging into the sand. Everything was fuzzy now… But maybe that just made what I was about to do easier. _She’s really gone… Huh…_ She must have been. She never showed up. And then Amelie… Not to mention the fact that I almost definitely had no job to go back to after punching Morris in his stupid mouth. I couldn’t even glean pleasure from recalling the look on his face. No… I couldn’t glean pleasure from anything. For the longest time I’d been a husk with nothing inside of me but lies. And what kept me going? That ridiculous thing called hope. Or maybe even love. But Rain was gone. Maybe she took the last piece of me with her… Or maybe there was never a piece there to start with. Maybe life had already worn it away. I’d never be okay - that much was clear to me now. And I’d never do anything but burden others. Marnie. Jas. They didn’t deserve to have a waste of space like me around, ruining their lives. And Rain… Mirabelle. She made the right choice to turn away from me.

My eyes ached, yet I had no energy to even blink. Every inhale, every exhale - it hurt. Just continuing to exist was painful. I knew it was time. I threw the metal can behind me onto the sand and stood up, walking over to a nearby rock pool. A large rock sat at one of its edges, and I lifted it, straining slightly under its weight. _It’s heavy… Perfect. This means there’s no going back._ My mind went silent as I walked down the creaky wooden pier. The sound of the wood crackling under my feet barely even reached my ears - everything was dulled. The heaviness of the rock, the creaking, the throbbing pain in my head. Even my vision. It was all like cotton wool. Time slowed as my feet approached the end of the pier. The waves shifted in slow motion, beckoning me coldly. I stood, watching as they danced.

And here I am. On the edge of this pier, ready to do what should have been done long ago. One last breath. This is long overdue. One final push. I raise the stone to my chest, hugging it tightly, and with one step I plunge into the depths. Darkness closes in on me from all sides as I feel myself sinking deeper. So this is how it is to drown. Silent, creeping, freezing cold. Yet tranquil. A peace I never felt in life. Something only the embrace of death can give me. What a meaningless existence it was. That’s it… I’m running out of air. I can feel my body starting to struggle - it’s a desperation rising like bubbles in my stomach all the way up to my throat. It’s okay. Fight it.

Are those… Footsteps? On the pier? My hearing is so dampened now I can hardly tell. Maybe I’m hallucinating. A sudden whoosh of water as something plunges in beside me, tugging at my arms, trying with futility to pull me toward the surface. Its beautiful yet pained green eyes come into view… An angel? It’s okay… Let me go. Just let me go. My arms drop - the rugged stone has done its job, tumbling downwards. I close my eyes and my consciousness fades into the abyss.


	22. Regret

** Shane’s P.O.V. **

 

The first thing I saw was a fuzzy white light which stretched on forever. _I… I really went through with it. Am I in Heaven?_

 

 _...No._ A tainted soul like mine would never make it into a place like Heaven. Just as that thought crossed my mind, my eyes started to come into focus. That ethereal white light was a series of squares, framed by grey lines. A ceiling. My peripheral vision picked up a blue curtain to my left and my ears began to pay attention to an intermittent beeping sound coming from outside of my line of sight. A sharp inhale ripped the film from my senses, catapulting my mind straight into reality. A hospital… This was a hospital.

 

Oh _god,_ the pain. My head felt as if it had been pierced with a spear and my chest may as well have been filled with corrosive mucus, wreaking havoc all the way from my lungs up to my tonsils like a wildfire tearing through a forest in drought. My breathing grew heavier as my grip on my chest got tighter, my torso trying to wriggle up from laying down. _What the hell happened to me…? How did I get in this state?_ A small gasp echoed from the gap in the blue curtain, and my eyes locked with a dark skinned nurse wearing glasses. “Doctor! He’s awake!” Her voice carried urgency as she quickly fled from sight. Moments later and with just as much if not more urgency, a mustached man in a green coat came flying around the curtain. I recognised him - the local doctor, Harvey. _So this is the clinic…_ I’d never seen the clinic from this side of the bed before. I couldn’t decide which perspective was more depressing. Harvey pulled a chair next to where I was laying and sat down. “Shane… Can you hear me? Do you understand what I’m saying?” His demeanour and voice were calm, but his eyes were anything but. I gave a slow nod in return, before trying once again to hoist myself into a sitting position. “That’s good-- ah, please try not to move. You may still be injured.”

“Doctor…” The sound of my own voice was almost alien. My voice box felt like it hadn’t been used in years - like it had gathered dust. “What happened to me…?”

“Shane,” his voice was professional and diplomatic now. He leaned forward on his chair warmly, placing his hand on my arm. “I’d like you to do what you can to remain calm whilst we talk.” Something in my stomach turned. Harvey’s words didn’t bode well at all. “Maru,” he signaled the nurse, “some water for the patient, please.”

 

The doctor sat in a calm silence until Maru steadily guided me into a sitting position and handed me a glass of water. When he’d seen that I’d swallowed the first sip, Harvey started to talk in a low voice. “You were found sixteen days ago on the beach. Your heart had stopped. CPR had to be administered to bring you back to us. You’ve been unconscious ever since.”

“I… I see…” The water in the glass rippled unnervingly against my breath. Suddenly I didn’t want it near me anymore. “What… What happened?”

“Well,” Doctor Harvey pushed his square framed glasses up his nose with a sigh, “I was hoping you could help me fill in some blanks there. No rush, of course. A few witnesses have been identified but none of them...” His voice trailed off. As the doctor spoke I noticed that he hadn’t glanced at the clipboard on his lap even once. “Ahem. At 8:37 AM on Fall 28th, Willy heard a loud splashing sound from outside of his house and found you unconscious on the beach. You were soaked to the bone. It seems that you had drowned. Not only that, you had a copious amount of alcohol in your system. You were lucky to be saved, Shane.” The doctor paused to let the information soak into my brain. _The beach…? What was I doing there?_ I searched frantically for the memories but they just weren’t there. I didn’t remember being on the beach - not since Summer. The doctor produced a handkerchief from his pocket and wiped a bead of sweat from my brow. “Please try not to panic, Shane. It’s okay. Can you tell me the last thing you remember?”

“The last thing…” The blurry image in my mind begins to focus as I stare at the white sheets. Black and orange. Rows of hedges, fake blood, pumpkins… Pumpkins. A huge, golden pumpkin. “...I remember the Spirit’s Eve festival.” No, that… Couldn’t be it. Somehow the Spirit’s Eve felt so long ago. There must’ve been something else.

“Ah, yes. That was the night before the incident on the beach. Marnie confirmed that you went home that night - she said it was the last time she saw you. Do you remember?”

“A little…” I vaguely remembered walking home toward the forest. I was… Happy? I remember the warm feeling in my stomach. But why? Something wasn’t right with these memories. Some key part was missing, teasing my brain as if on the tip of my tongue but just ever so slightly out of reach. But one unpleasant memory did come creeping back - the way the sun’s glimmer caught the edge of the fountain’s water as she touched my face. That’s right… I saw Amelie that day. A shudder passed through my body as the rest returned to me. Throat dry, I opened my mouth. “...I saw my ex.”

“When was this? On the day of the beach incident?”

“Mm.” I nodded gruffly. From then my memories passed straight through my mind and out of my mouth. “She made me late to work. My boss yelled at me… I punched him and then I left Joja. I had a few drinks, I don’t remember how many, and then I went down to the beach and I--” _Oh._ The next set of memories entered my mind with a jolt that shut off my voice. In that moment it all made sense, and every part of me grew heavy as I averted my eyes from Harvey’s. “Doctor, I… I remember now.”

“Please, tell me.” His voice was calm as ever and yet mine trembled uncontrollably.

“I went to the beach that morning. I jumped in the sea. I wanted… To end my life…” I wasn’t sure which feeling was stronger; the shame at having said it out loud, or the raw disappointment that I hadn’t succeeded. Dread and hopelessness enveloped me. What could possibly be left for me? Why was I still alive? I closed my eyes, pushing my palm into my forehead. The doctor was talking, calm and low, but none of it was getting through to me. I focused on the swirling darkness behind my eyelids, squeezing my eyes tighter, when suddenly--

“Ah--” two emerald lights flashed through my mind. The angel in the sea. Albina, throwing herself into the beast to save me. The missing fragments of my memories all clicked into place at once. Those eyes, those green eyes…!

“Shit!” The desk next to me clattered over as I sprung to my feet, the pain in my head and chest only spurring me on. “Where is she, Harvey?! Where is Rain?!”

“Wh-who?”

“Where the hell is _Mirabelle?!_ ” I screamed, tears forcing their way out of my eyes. Harvey’s response nearly killed me then and there. My question didn’t surprise him - instead, he gave me a small sympathetic smile. “Shane, listen to me calmly, please.” his voice was almost a whisper, barely audible over the sound of the blood whooshing around my ears. “Mirabelle was found about half a metre away from you, on the beach. She was unconscious and her face was submerged in the shallow water. She’s alive, but she--”

That was enough. I was through those blue curtains before I even knew it. The sprint down the clinic’s corridor went in slow motion, but my attention was fixed on my destination. I almost didn’t notice her sitting on the floor just outside the next cubicle - Haley. The once perfectly preened blonde hair was now a bird’s nest, her makeup running all the way down her face underneath her empty eyes - a silent image of profound, unfixable regret. But I didn’t stop until I was in front of another blue curtain. My hand trembled as I clutched it, but there was no time to hesitate - I cast it open with all my strength and the sight before me flung me to the floor. Wires... So many wires. Her small frame was riddled with them. She was unconscious, yet seemed so full of anguish. Her face, once bright and full of wonder, was now pale and seemed so fragile. I crawled over to her bedside and put my hand on hers. _Warm… She’s still fighting. But this is my fault… How could this happen…?!_ My heart broke ten times every second I spent looking at her face. I buried my face in the bed sheet, tears smudging all over my cheeks.

“Shane, you need to go lay back down,” the doctor approached me from behind. “You’re not well enough to be--”

“I _can’t_ lay back down!” my head shot up, my voice crackling in pain. “Look… Look what I’ve done!”

“What… What do you mean?”

“She…” Harvey's face was blurring into a mess of colours through my tear filled eyes, “she jumped in after me. To _save_ me…!”

“To… To _save_ you?” Harvey’s head turned toward Rain’s motionless body before moving back in my direction. I couldn’t see his expression, but the trembling of his voice said it all. Long moments passed in stony silence but for the beeping of the heart monitor until finally Harvey collected himself and knelt beside me. “Shane…” His voice was a low, grave tone now. My eyes flicked up to meet his, and they were burning with urgency. “I know that you’re shaken… But what I need from you right now is to stay as calm as possible and adhere to my instructions.”

“I…” Still swirling around in a vortex of panic, I managed to calm myself for the Doctor, if only slightly. “Y-Yeah…”

“Okay.” Harvey took a slow breath before beginning to speak again. “Right now, the most important thing you can do is tell me anything, anything at all, that you remem--”

“MIRA!!!” A shriek from behind me rung out in a familiar voice as footsteps sprinted into the room, stopping with heavy panting. Turning to face the sound, I saw him; the too-cool-to-care demeanour had melted away, leaving behind a frightened little boy with eyes wide and lips quivering, his dark clothes somehow seeming bigger on him than before. His body froze in place as he stared at her. It was like watching a ghost of myself from moments before.

“Sebastian, you can’t be here.” Doctor Harvey stood to face him, barely missing a beat. “We’re dealing with a critical situation so as I mentioned yesterday morning, only witnesses are permitted to be in these rooms.” _Yesterday morning? Was there some sort of town meeting?_

“W-Witnesses…” His gaze didn’t falter from Rain for even a second, but somehow, with just one word he seemed to regain his sense of purpose. His voice descended into a choked whisper. “I… I’m here as a witness… Doctor.”

“You are?” Harvey sprung to his feet. “It’s been two weeks. Why haven’t you mentioned this until now? No, nevermind that… Please tell me what you know.”

“I-I had no idea it would… I didn’t know this was going to h-happen…” His trembling voice was a mix of a sinner desperate to repent, and a child too afraid of chastisement to own up. Hesitantly, he continued. “I-I just wanted her to be with me… To be happy… I thought I could convince her to leave with me, but she wouldn’t… This… I-It’s all… My...” He forced the words out through tears and suddenly, the dots connected all the way up my spine, every penny dropped with a thunderous echo, and rage reached my legs before it reached my mind. I was before him now, his throat wrapped tightly in my palm, the slam of his head on the wall splattering tears out of his eyes straight onto my face. “WHAT DID YOU DO TO HER?!” My voice didn’t even sound like mine. None of this felt real. I was a soldier of the devil, a vengeful oath in human form. Sebastian whimpered and stuttered inaudibly, his eyes forced open only by the streams of tears pouring out of them.

“Shane, _wait!_ What on earth is going on here?!” Harvey was by my side almost instantly, though I barely noticed. I balled my free hand into a fist so tight my nails dug into my hand, but the pain only spurred me on.

“I-It’s… All my f-f-fault…” The mess of a man before me whimpered in guilt. His body was limp, his nose and eyes both running in streams down his chin. It was… A pathetic image. The hot rage in my chest faded into sorrow, my palm aching as I unclenched my fist. How could I? I was more to blame than anyone else. I couldn’t just use a scapegoat as a punchbag. I had to take… Some responsibility for what I’d done to Rain. Her jumping into the sea was on no one but me. As my grip around his neck loosened, his body slumped to the floor, and there he stayed, shaking, whimpering. As I watched him the pain was released from my cage of anger and assaulted my psyche again. “Agh…”

“Steady, there…” Harvey caught me as I stumbled and slowly guided me back to my hospital bed, the sorry scene behind me burned into the back of my eyelids. As I sat unsteadily on the bed, the doctor gave out a shaky sigh. “Really, now… You’re still recovering. You need bedrest.”

“...Doc, I… I think I… I know what…” I wheezed out between coughs.

Harvey just shooked his head lightly. “No rush. All in your own time.” As Maru entered with a trolley of equipment, Harvey continued. “Now that you’re awake, we need to do some tests. Might even be able to get you home today if Marnie will come pick you up.”

Silently I nodded at his words as the nurse tightened a blood pressure reader around my arm. Doctor Harvey sat beside me and started to speak again, now using his clearly well rehearsed ‘bedside-manner’ tone. “There is… Something I think you ought to know first, however. It’s about Mirabelle.” His expression was unreadable, and his eyes didn’t falter from mine for even a moment. The gravity in the room seemed to increase as he spoke. “As I mentioned before… Mirabelle’s face was submerged in the water when she was found. The sea water is freezing cold at this time of year, so we also had to be wary of hypothermia. And as I’m sure you can recognise from what you just saw… She is in a far worse state than you have been for the past sixteen days. She is stable, but her condition is still serious. The next seven days will be critical in predicting her recovery. If we fail to see any significant improvement by then…” Harvey’s gaze dropped. We both knew he didn’t need to say anything more.

 

For the rest of the nurse’s tests, I was, mentally at least, barely present. I was… Numb. Rain’s life was now a waiting game, and I was powerless to do anything about it. Useless in the face of my own sins and without chance to repent. The sound of Maru wheeling the trolley out of my cubicle snapped me back to reality. I looked weakly at Harvey, who put a sympathetic hand on my shoulder before silently leaving me with my own thoughts.


End file.
